


Belongs To Her

by AkaneNyx



Category: Naruto
Genre: Awkwardness, Canon Divergence - chapter 417, Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Injury Recovery, Konoha Village, Slow Build, Suna Village, mission
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-11
Updated: 2018-03-21
Packaged: 2018-12-01 00:05:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 101,575
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11474457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AkaneNyx/pseuds/AkaneNyx
Summary: A little time in the hospital. A little insight into the past. A little bit of compassion. A little mission. Will it take more than a little for her to realize what belongs to her?Alternately:  The story in which Kakashi is slow to come to terms with the losses of his past and the realities of his present, almost stubbornly missing his future in the process.  Also, the story in which Sakura is given the opportunity to embrace her power on a professional level while finding that admitting what she wants on personal level is not a weakness.





	1. Tuesday - Emergency

**Author's Note:**

> I quit reading/watching Naruto not long into writing this fic, mostly because I became more interested in what I was creating than what was actually happening. Therefore disregard everything after chapter 417.
> 
> This bears no relation to my fic _Misgotten_. 
> 
> If you're looking for something to listen to while reading this first chapter, may I suggest Blue October's "Amazing." That was what served as inspiration to this first scene, and everything snowballed out of my control from there.
> 
> This story operates on a 1 chapter = 1 day timeline. It takes place over the course of 27 days, meaning this story is a behemoth (130k words and growing). 
> 
> This has been a horribly stubborn labor of love (since 2009), which I am trying to get completed. I'm down to filling in some of the blank spots, and fleshing out the finer details. Please bear with me. A lot has happened in my life since I began writing this ( including changes in education level, career, address, and last name) so keeping a constant (or at least acceptably balanced) tone has been more than a bit of a challenge. 
> 
> ~Nyx.

It was a warm Tuesday afternoon in the middle of autumn. The hospital was buzzing with activity, and with recent events it was no wonder.

He was pacing outside of an ICU room, where he had been for well over three hours. The blinds were tightly drawn; only the frantic mummers of Tsunade, Shizune, and their assistants gave any indication of what was going on behind the door. Despite his condition, he'd found that sitting was not an option. He leaned heavily on a crutch as he continued to try to wear a groove in the white tile.

He caught sight of his reflection in the window to the room. The visible parts of his face looked haggard: like an old man's. The weariness and pain that showed on his features would have been accentuated by his silver hair, had it not been matted with blood.

He looked closer to seventy than his actual thirty-three. Truth be known, at the time, he felt it too. The bleeding had subsided from where he had plucked nine senbon from his left arm and shoulder, leaving an assortment of crusty, bloody splotches on his shirt. His half-healed left leg throbbed, probably because of the distance he had traveled on it, and he still felt a bit lightheaded from giving blood. He clenched his hands into fists in an effort to keep the hallway from spinning. This set of off a terrible chain reaction. First he felt the searing pain of the broken bones trying to work their way up through the skin on the back of his right hand. That caused him to sharply suck in a deep breath. In turn, that breath made him double over in agony as his lungs strained against several broken ribs. He steadied himself by propping his head against the wall, trying to will his breathing back into a pace that didn't cause excruciating pain. Resting his head against the wall pulled at the partially healed cuts on his face.

A comforting warmth spread around his ribcage. It could only come from one thing: a medic's chakra. "How many times to I have to tell you damn people?" he snarled. "Don't touch me. Go help her!" He spun himself around on his crutch and good leg and found himself face to face with a very serious looking Shizune. He panicked, wondering what had happened. In his moment of pain, he hadn't heard her leave the ICU.

"Tsunade is _not_ happy with you," she said, trying again to work on his ribs.

He batted her hands away; wincing again as his broken hand came in contact with her wrist. "I'm fine. Go help her."

"Tsunade is just finishing up in there; getting her cleaned up. Sakura will be fine in a week or so. The other medics told us just how ' _fine_ ' you are. It's bad enough that you refused to let anyone treat you or even clean you up, but to insist on giving blood…"

"She's going to be okay?" he demanded, as the first part of Shizune's rant caught up with him.

"She spent most of her chakra and lost a lot of blood. We took out a total of twenty-seven senbon, two were poisoned but it was rather weak and she seemed to have sealed the poison out herself before she passed out. She had a couple internal injuries from the others though, and over a dozen broken bones, mostly in her hands. It looked like she took a pretty good knock to the head too; broke her nose and split her one eyebrow open. My guess is that she fell over after passing out. It might take a while, but Tsunade is confident that she'll make a full recovery. Now let's get you into a room and fixed up."

"I'm not going anywhere until I see her."

"Fine," she pointed at a chair beside the door into Sakura's room. "Sit!"

He looked at her slightly angrily through his exposed eye, but complied, lowering himself into the chair and stared at the door.

Shizune removed the makeshift splint and placed a hand on either side of his leg and began to finish the healing that Sakura had started in the field. He knew that he had re-broken most of what she had managed to heal. Shizune wanted to berate him for aggravating the injury, but the circumstances made her stay quiet. She did not speak to him again until she had finished knitting the compound fracture above his ankle and then only to ask, "Where next?"

He didn't look away from the door as he held out his shattered hand. She worked at his hand diligently until the door opened. He tried to stand to address Tsunade, but Shizune yanked him back into the chair by his wrist.

"How is she?"

Tsunade ignored his question. "What are you doing in the hall? You should be in a bed."

"How is she?" he demanded again.

"I'm sure that Shizune told you that she'll recover. Now we're going to have someone finish healing you as soon as I get you in a room."

"No," his voice held no anger, just a flat refusal.

"No?!"

"I want to see her."

"And I want to know what went wrong out there, but first thing is first. She's on the road to recovery and you need to be too. Now let's get you a bed!"

"I'm going no further from her than I am right now," there was a fierce edge to his voice that neither of the women understood, but it was enough that even Tsunade didn't risk questioning it.

"Kakashi, what the hell happened out there?"

"You sent me. You know what I was doing."

"I sent you after one little rogue. What happened to you? And just how did Sakura end up in the middle of it? She was supposed to be in the garden along the outer wall picking herbs."

He drew a deep breath, wincing again. "Let me in to see her, then I'll talk to you."

"Talk to me. Then I'll fix you ribs. Then you can go in."

"Open the blinds so I can at least _see_ her."

"What's gotten into you?"

"I just need to see for myself that she's really alright. There was so much blood, and even knowing that it wasn't all hers…"

"Fine. Shizune, clear this area." Tsunade snapped. She walked into Sakura's room and opened the blinds just enough for Kakashi to see in.

The sight of her was both a comfort and a cause for worry. The monitor above the bed and the shallow rise and fall of her chest proved that she was still alive. There were no visible wounds in the skin of her face or her arms. That should have filled him with relief, but instead he studied her further. She looked like a ghost of herself. Her eyes appeared sunken and the dark circles under them stood out against her paler-than-usual skin. Even her long hair seemed to have faded, from a vibrant pink to a soft pastel. Her eyes were closed and her jaw hung slack. Her arms lay limp at her sides

The usually emotionless shinobi had to bite his lip beneath his mask to keep himself in check. He slowly closed his eye and nodded his head to Tsunade, who closed the blind.

Shizune set back to work on his hand as Tsunade returned to the hallway. He remained seated in the chair, Tsunade stood at his feet and Shizune took up a position between him and Sakura's door when she finished.

"Let's have it." Tsunade insisted coldly.

"I need to know something first."

"I don't appreciate your stalling," she warned angrily.

"I'm not stalling. How many cells are in a person's body?"

"Approximately one hundred trillion… but I don't see…"

"How much chakra does it take to rupture one?" he asked.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Just answer the question, better yet, show me," he insisted, holding out his newly healed hand. "Destroy about a hundred cells on the palm of my hand."

"I…"

"This has everything to do with what happened. I need answers, just like you do."

She looked at Shizune, who simply shrugged her shoulders, so Tsunade complied with his request.

He felt the small amount of force that she put into the task and then examined the damage. His exposed eye narrowed in thought as he calculated and then widened in awe. "Damn," he whispered.

"I'm done fooling around," the Hokage's temper was getting the better of her as her patience wore thin. "Explanation. Now!" she demanded.

"Alright. I was about six kilometers northwest of the city. Pakkun had caught the trail of the rogue. He told me as soon as he came across the new scent, but it was too late. Three jumped me."

Tsunade held up a hand. "Three?"

"Yes. Three."

"You should have said something sooner. Only two bodies were found."

"I know," he said in a much calmer tone than Tsunade seemed to think the situation warranted.

"Then we've got a dangerous criminal very near the city. I need to…"

"No," he cut her off. She began to argue, but he held up a hand. "Let me finish."

Tsunade looked perplexed but motioned for him to continue.

"Three jumped me. I didn't recognize them."

"Where were they from?" Shizune asked, jotting down notes on a little tablet.

"They were dressed as civilians, but were A-Class at least. One may have exceeded S-Class. They were very skilled with taijutsu. The most troubling thing was that genjutsu didn't seem to have much affect on them, if any. One was slighter than the other two, who looked like thugs. I did what I could. The smaller one fell back for the most part, but I think he must have been holding my chakra in check somehow. The two thugs pretty much beat me in to submission. I knew I was too weak to do it, but I activated the Mangekyo Sharingan. The two thugs fell back, but the third wasn't phased."

"Not phased by the Mangekyo?" Tsunade sounded worried. Shizune was at a total loss for words.

"Not at all," he verified. "After that things are a little fuzzy. I spent too much chakra and collapsed. The skinny guy was sitting on my chest explaining exactly what they were after… working toward it when _she_ showed up. Pakkun had disappeared somewhere in the melee. When I get in a scrape like that, he's trained to get out of the way. He's not trained to find the nearest medic, but that must have been what he did.

"She flew into a fury like I've never seen out of anyone but Naruto or perhaps you." Tsunade gave him a warning look, which he completely ignored. "After what you showed me just now… I didn't know that she had that much chakra. She tackled the one who had me and knelt beside him, holding him to the ground one handed. She drew chakra into her other hand, almost like she was going to heal him, but the color was off. It seemed like he was forcing a chakra out of his entire body, like he was trying to throw her off of him or stop her attack or maybe heal whatever damage she was causing. I think she meant to slit him open, but when she passed her hand from his head down his body, something happened. He just… disintegrated… exploded… I… I don't know. There was this horrible sound, sort of like a thick piece of metal being torn in half. I'd never heard anything like it. There was nothing left but bloody scraps of cloth and shards of bone. I don't think there was a piece of him bigger than my thumb. So much blood. I don't think I've ever seen so much blood." He shuddered. "She didn't know it would happen. She couldn't have. She looked terrified."

Tsunade and Shizune exchanged a look and stood there with their mouths agape. Neither one of them had ever seen a reaction like this from Kakashi: he was emotional; it made them as much curious as they were concerned. He paid them no mind, just continued. "As soon as she turned back to me, she was all business. She sealed up my worst injury, enough that the bleeding stopped but I'm sure it still doesn't look good, and then she turned her attention to my ankle. She did what she could, but then the two thugs came back. She was… like a machine."

"After using that much chakra, she was still able to begin healing you and take them both down?" Shizune asked, slightly awed.

He shook his head, "She took one down, but as she was finishing him off with her kunai the other snuck up behind her. I managed to get a shuriken through his throat. I'm pretty sure that she knew he was there, and I'm not entirely sure that she couldn't have taken him out as well. She was almost drained when she turned her attention back to me. She knew she was too low on chakra to keep healing my leg. She apologized over and over for that as she tried to make a splint from strips off of her dress and a couple limbs. Then the senbon came raining down. I only caught a couple in the shoulder because the attack came from behind her and her body partially shielded mine. It was the rogue that you sent me after. I saw him in the brush over her shoulder, but he left us both for dead. When she turned to look in the direction of the attack, I saw the light green glow around one in her arm and one in her shoulder and she collapsed. That's how I knew she had been poisoned. I honestly don't know how I got her to the gate, but you know the rest from there." He tried to stand.

"Why did they attack you?" Tsunade asked, making a mental note to send ANBU after the rogue, a witness wouldn't do in this situation. She pushed Kakashi back into the chair. "I'm assuming that you weren't just in the wrong place at the wrong time."

"I had something valuable. Something that would fetch an astounding price on the black market if the right person acquired it."

"What?" Shizune asked. Tsunade looked like she already knew.

He didn't answer, just peeled off his hitai-ate. The freshly scabbed cuts around his Sharingan eye were pronounced. The old vertical wound had been re-opened and in addition he'd been cut from the corner of his eye to nearly his temple. "They wanted Obito's eye," he strained the words out. "It wasn't just my life that she saved. The skinny guy was a medic. He planned to leave me for dead, not kill me, but I'm pretty sure that his thugs or the rogue wouldn't have had much trouble finishing me off in the state he was going to leave me in."

Tsunade looked at the ground, unsure of how to react to the information that he had given. A lot of questions remained unanswered, but she was fairly sure that she had gotten all of the information from Kakashi that she would for tonight. She looked him over, taking in his filthy clothes and the way that blood had matted his silver hair. Still, he was far from being as much of a mess as Sakura had been. It looked like she had been dunked in a vat of red. Tsunade had been pretty sure that it was not all his and Sakura's blood that had covered the pair when they appeared at the hospital, his story backed up her suspicions. "Get yourself cleaned up and go ahead in. I know I'm not going to talk you out of being there, but I don't want her waking up to see you all blood-splattered either. We'll deal with your ribs once you get settled in. And if I have any further questions or if I ask you to leave for a little while, I expect no arguments out of you. Are we clear?" He nodded. "I'm going to dispatch a squad of ANBU to take care of this rogue. He has become a much bigger threat than before. Shizune, have someone get him a comfortable chair and a blanket."

Shizune gave a small bow and disappeared. Kakashi walked toward the restroom that was adjacent to the waiting area to clean up.

Washing his hair in the small sink was a challenge that was made no easier by his broken ribs. He had almost finished scrubbing his forearms when a soft knock came at the door. He opened it to find Ino holding a large paper bag.

"Lady Tsunade says that you are much too filthy to be in an ICU room," she explained, thrusting the package into his hands.

He nodded, closed the door, and opened the bag, which contained a few towels and a rather questionable change of clothes. He did his best to ignore the pain as he changed. Being dressed in scrub pants and an oversized t-shirt proved awkward at best as he was used to hiding a lot more of himself beneath his clothing. He took comfort in the fact that they gave him more than a hospital gown, not that it would have really mattered at that point, but he didn't want to have to perform a genjutsu on everyone he met between the restroom and Sakura's door. He managed to salvage his mask and hitai-ate by washing them in the sink and pressing them dry between two towels.

All told, it took Kakashi about fifteen minutes to clean up. His hair was still mostly wet and his feet were bare, but he paid little mind to either as he walked quickly back to Sakura's door. He paused for a moment and then walked in. An armchair had been placed near Sakura's bed. A blanket and pillow sat on a small ottoman in front of the chair. He sat his bag of bloodstained clothes in the windowsill, then quietly moved the chair and ottoman to within inches of her bed and sat down.

He drew a ragged breath as he studied her. The pain of his ribs was more apparent now that he was able to relax a little bit. He brushed his fingertips over the back of her hand and continued up her arm. The medics had done well. There was no trace of the punctures from the senbon. They had cleaned her up as well: she had been dyed red after dispatching the first of his attackers, but now her pale skin was spotless. There wasn't even any blood beneath her fingernails. His fingers traveled back down her arm, one extending to move over the bumps of her ribs and down the curve of her waist. He knew this movement brought no comfort to her in her unconscious state, but touching her warm skin and feeling her ribs move as she breathed helped his mind cement the fact that she had, indeed, lived through the ordeal. His gaze held on her face, as he reached up to tuck her long hair behind her ears, the way that she wore it. Her eyes remained shut, not shining green, as they should have. 'In due time,' he reminded himself, as he returned to tracing small circles on the back of her hand.

Even knowing what he did about her training and her chakra control, it was hard to believe that the frail-looking, pink-haired woman on the bed had acted as his savior. Surely he would have done the same for her, but that she would attempt to go up against a foe that even he couldn't defeat, it was not reasonable. Did she honestly think that she had a chance? Had Pakkun seen a weakness that she could exploit? Had it all been chakra, or was there another force involved?

It didn't matter now. She had saved his life, Obito's eye, and in a way she had saved him from the nature of who he was. Obito's eye was a part of him, but having it made other's see that such a thing was possible. It had made him a better ninja than he ever could have been otherwise, just as knowing Obito had changed who he was as a person for the better. And here lie another, willing to sacrifice herself for his sake, and yet, she had lived. In some small way he had saved her, and in saving her he felt partially redeemed. It was almost as though it lessened his role in the fates of those who he couldn't save. In some way, she had given him a great gift. He would not leave her. Nothing bad would ever befall her so long as he was around.

The sound of someone in the doorway softly clearing her throat drew his attention. Tsunade stood there, leaning against the doorframe. He fleetingly wondered how long she had been there, as he turned his attention back to Sakura.

"Kakashi," Tsunade said in the softest voice he'd ever heard her use, "Come stand with your hands against the wall so I can fix your ribs."

He hesitated.

"She's not going anywhere," she reminded him in a slightly firmer tone, as she stepped into the room and closed the door.

"For how long?" he asked, as he stood.

"For as much as she depleted her chakra, we'll be keeping her sedated for about another thirty hours. You could go home tonight, take a shower, get into your own clothes, maybe even eat some real food," she said hopefully.

He shook his head. "Not yet. I'm not leaving her yet," he said protectively, as he braced himself against the wall.

"It will probably be about four days until she's strong enough to get out of here," Tsunade spoke as she worked on his ribs. "After that, I won't want her using any chakra until we figure out what happened out there and make sure that it didn't mess up anything that we aren't able to see yet. I'll put Hinata or Ino with her full time for a while, until we get that sorted out.

"Me," he said softly, with a slightly demanding undertone to his voice.

"I beg your pardon?"

"I want the assignment, if she doesn't mind."

"Is there something that you're not telling me, Kakashi?"

He shook his head slowly, wondering just what she was getting at. "She saved me. She threw herself in the middle of one of the worst situations that I've ever been in, and you've probably read my files, or at least heard enough rumors to have an idea of how bad it had to have been for me say that. She had to know that she couldn't save me; that she wouldn't survive: but she did. I owe her… I owe her so much…everything," his usual stoic nature was completely gone. He choked on his words.

"This isn't like you," she observed softly, and then shifted back into a medical professional. "You might still be a little tender, but your ribs are back in order. Let me finish what she started with your eye."

"No."

"No?"

"I want that scar," as soon as the words slipped out of his mouth, he knew how crazy it sounded, but thankfully she didn't call him on it.

"Of course you do," she said nonchalantly. "Get some sleep. You're running on fumes and adrenaline now. It's not good for you. I'll have them bring you a meal tonight, but I am going to insist that you at least go home and change before we wake her up. Honestly: you look ridiculous." With that she disappeared from the room.

He barely touched the meal that was brought in for him and he did not sleep that night, just studied her as she lay there. He never moved from the chair. The thought of fishing his book from the paper bag in the window didn't even cross his mind. The moment that she came to his rescue, Sakura had become exponentially more important than his books, than his missions, than his village, than anything that he had held dear. He would walk through fire for her now.

* * *

In Hokage Tower, Tsunade and Shizune's efforts had turned to going through old scrolls and books. "There's nothing documented like this," Tsunade said, exasperated.

"Did you check the Nara's medical book?"

"Twice," she verified, pouring herself a glass of sake. As and afterthought, she poured Shizune one too. "Send correspondence to the other hospitals. Ask if they've ever had an incident like this, but be vague. Tomorrow I'm going to attempt to replicate this on a smaller scale."

Uncharacteristically, Shizune sipped at the drink that she was offered. "From what Kakashi told us it might just have been a reaction between her chakra and that of the other medic."

"Then we'll have to establish whether or not she is able to turn someone's chakra network against them. Either way tomorrow is going to be a long day. I'm going to have to convince Kakashi to leave for a little while. I have a feeling that he's going to be a problem."

Shizune nodded. "Do you have any idea what's up with him?"

"I really don't know. He's always been so aloof. I'm not really sure what to make of it."

"Maybe it's happened before. We could check his records."

Tsunade gave her a smirk. "I've seen his records."

"Do you remember anything from them?"

"I said I'd seen them. Not that I've read them. But if you want to; be my guest."


	2. Wednesday - Obligation

Around dawn, Kakashi had begun to doze off. A nurse came in a couple hours later and sat him back on his chair: pulling his feet up on the ottoman, and covering him with a blanket. She took notice that he was still gripping Sakura's hand, but did nothing to disengage his fingers from hers. He was restless, twisting and writhing in his chair.

* * *

In a dimly lit room in the Hokage Tower, Shizune was secretly wishing for Tsunade's bottle of sake. She'd been staring down Kakashi's 'file' for almost twenty minutes, afraid to even start searching for answers. Upon deciding that there had to be an easier way, she left the room and headed to Tsunade's office.

"You could have told me it was like that!" she said.

"I take it you saw Hatake's file."

"File! Ha!"

"So you'll forgive me for not reviewing that one?" she said.

"Maybe," Shizune reluctantly allowed.

"Do you still want answers before we assign him to Sakura?"

"Yes."

"You know it's not like we can have someone else comb through that to find us the important parts. It's nearly all classified."

"I'll find another way," Shizune assured her.

"Or, I could just drag him in here and question him until he relents."

"I think this might be a situation where force won't work."

Tsunade glared at her, as though asking if Shizune would like to bet on that.

"Though we should keep that option open," Shizune allowed.

* * *

Not long after midday, Tsunade gently shook Kakashi awake. "Kakashi, it's just after noon. I'm going to start to wake her around ten though in all likelihood, she'll probably sleep right through until morning. You need to go now. I'm going to check her over while you're out and make sure all of the work we did yesterday went as it should."

He nodded, fighting back the haze of sleep. He could not recall the dreams that he'd had, but felt for certain that they had not been pleasant. He came back to the present to ask, "Do you think someone could sit with her while I'm out?"

Tsunade fought the urge to argue with him; from what she'd seen during the last day, she knew it wouldn't do her an ounce of good. "Sure, I'll get Ino."

"I won't be gone long," he said softly, speaking more to Sakura than to Tsunade.

"Get some more rest," Tsunade insisted.

"I'll sleep here when I get back."

Tsunade just shook her head and went to the desk for Ino. Kakashi remained in his chair, slowly tracing the veins on the back of Sakura's hand. When Ino made it to the doorway she stopped in her tracks. The blonde's eyes slid back and forth between Sakura and Kakashi. The white haired ninja seemed almost as oblivious to her presence as the unconscious kunoichi on the hospital bed was.

Ino studied them for a moment, trying to figure out exactly what had happened between them. The rumors were already plentiful, but she knew very few hard facts. Tsunade was being vague at best; only saying that Sakura had helped Kakashi. Ino felt for certain that there had to be more to it than that. After all, Ino had been the one to take the blood that he had insisted on donating. She had offered repeatedly, but he had adamantly refused to let her work on his ankle, insisting that she save her chakra to help Sakura if she could. As strongly as he had opposed help, she was almost surprised when he had asked for a crutch. She had been told that he had refused any treatment at all until Sakura was completely in the clear. None of that fueled her suspicions more than the sight of Kakashi now. The dangerous ninja seemed almost… tender.

She cleared her throat, to let him know that she was there.

"I'll be back soon," he whispered to Sakura. He stood, gave a slight bow to the girl on the bed, smoothed her hair and then turned to Ino. "I'll be an hour, two at the most. Just… keep her company… talk to her."

Ino nodded, noting the slight strain to Kakashi's voice.

"Shut the window behind me?"

"Of course." Ino watched from the doorframe as Kakashi walked over, picked up his sack of dirty clothes, and opened the window. With a lingering glance backwards he climbed out onto the wide sill, tucked his bag under his arm, and performed a few quick hand seals.

As soon as he flickered out of view, Ino crossed the room and shut the window. She quickly took her place beside her friend, whispering, "Tsunade's going to be here in a little while to check you over. I wish you were awake to see Kakashi, because I doubt that you'll believe me once you do wake up."

* * *

Kakashi flickered into his front yard and walked to his door. The house was a two-bedroom, one-story building. It was small but sufficient for him and his dogs.

Pakkun met him at the door. "How's the girl?"

"Sakura's still sedated, but Tsunade says she's going to recover. Why did you get her?"

"You were going to need a medic. I didn't think she'd… do that."

"So you saw?"

"Yeah. How'd she…?"

"We don't know. After she gets out, she'll probably be staying here until they figure it out."

"Here?"

"Why not?"

"If you're going to have a female here, you'd better get to work."

"I'll straighten things up a little bit and then stop in at the cleaners and have them send someone over. Make sure Bull lets them in this time."

"Right."

Kakashi headed to the bathroom. Catching sight of his reflection in the mirror, he thought back on Tsunade's words. She was right: he did look ridiculous. Somehow he just couldn't bring himself to care.

The hot shower did little to relax the tension that had set in as soon as he had left Sakura's bedside. He quickly pulled on a fresh change of clothes and stuffed another into a backpack. Pakkun observed him from the couch as he picked up the few misplaced items that he'd left lay around and put his now bloodstained book on the shelf. His laundry was stuffed into a large mesh bag and he was soon out the door again.

He walked down town quickly, dropping his dirty clothes at the launders and offering his apologies in the form of a masked sheepish grin and a tip.

His next stop took him to the cleaners. The woman behind the counter visibly cringed when he walked through the door. "C-c-can I h-help you?" she asked, a small amount of contempt leaking from behind her nervous persona.

"I'm expecting some company," he explained, trying to be as polite as possible after what had happened the last time he had hired a cleaner. "I have to be at the hospital until they get out, at which point they'll become my responsibility. I'd appreciate if you could overlook what happened last time because of the circumstances."

"We had to send that poor girl to counseling, sir."

He scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "Ah… Bull can be a bit overprotective of the property."

"And he talks! She was in the tree for almost ten hours."

"I really do apologize," he said sincerely. "Add her lost time and medical bills to my bill this time. And charge me twice the going rate. I really can't be away from the hospital."

The lady sighed in resignation, knowing that the amount of money he was offering would more than pay the overhead for the month. "When?"

"By Friday afternoon. Please make sure it would be suitable for a lady."

"Very well," she said, grudgingly.

He left and headed toward the market when the Yamanaka's flower shop caught his eye. Aside from flowers to honor fallen comrades, he never set foot in there, but he felt himself propelled through the door nonetheless.

The blonde lady behind the counter, who he knew to be Ino's aunt, looked up at him and began reaching for the components of his usual request: a daffodil and a few sweet peas: His last showing of respect and his silent goodbye.

He raised his hand to stop her and shook his head, half a smile forming beneath his mask.

She raised an eyebrow as a way of asking the question.

"I need to say thank you to someone who was unnecessarily-unbelievably brave. I want to tell them that I'd return the…um… favor… at a moment's notice. Can you deliver them?"

She nodded thoughtfully, trying to not let the surprise show on her face. "Where?"

"Konoha Hospital. ICU two."

"And on the card?"

"No card."

"As you wish."

"Thank you," he said. "Bill me?"

"Of course."

She smiled as he left; glad to see a change in his tragic pattern.

His next stop was the market, where he purchased a small assortment of fruit and a loaf of bread. He planned to not leave the hospital, unless forced away again, once he returned.

After a quick stop for a bowl of ramen, he made his way to the memorial. Kakashi squatted down before the stone and traced the names of his fallen friends. When he came to Obito's, he paused. "You were there, weren't you?" he whispered. "I don't have to tell you how she saved us both. You've probably been watching me for the last day or so, thinking that I've gone crazy. Maybe you're right." He took a deep breath, sinking onto his knees. "Did you see what I did when she flew into that medic? It was you going after Rin all over again. That makes me Rin in this situation, doesn't it? Maybe I am crazy." He reached for Rin's name. "I'm so sorry that I couldn't take care of her. I know I tell you that every time, but it's true. I hope when the time comes, the two of you will find it in your hearts to forgive me. Sakura is not going to be joining you. Tsunade says she's going to live: going to fully recover. Is it wrong that her surviving makes me feel… forgiven… not entirely, of course, but a little bit? Obito, she's going to need me. Even if she doesn't, I'm going to do what I can for her. I might not be back for a while. You understand, don't you?" He heaved a sigh. "Tell Rin that I didn't understand then. I'd hoped she would move on and find someone… not necessarily that would be what you were to her… I wasn't naive enough to think that would happen… but someone that would fill the void. Tell her I understand now. Tell her she was right." He fell silent, staring at Obito's name as though he was looking him in the eyes.

Abruptly, Kakashi stood up and patted the stone one final time. He turned and was quickly on his way back to the hospital.

* * *

Ino was surprised when a knock came at the door, assuming that Kakashi would be coming back in through the window. She stood from the chair and opened the door find a small, blue-eyed boy carrying a rather large arrangement of flowers.

"Ino?" her little cousin asked. "Are these for you?"

"No. They're for her," she said pointing at Sakura before taking the flowers from him. She looked at the arrangement, hoping for a clue as to who they'd come from. Surely news of Sakura's condition had reached her friends by now, even though Tsunade was keeping everyone away but Kakashi and her. There was no card. "Who are these from?"

The little boy shrugged.

"Well, who's been in today?"

He seemed to think for a moment. "Hm…I saw the fat, bald guy buying roses again for the lady who's not his wife; the butcher's wife and his ugly daughter – not the pretty one; the white haired ninja who only buys flowers for dead people; and the really old lady who buys up all the adonis."

It was all that Ino could do to not laugh at his description of some of the regular customers and Kakashi. "Okay. Tell your mom I said hello."

The boy nodded and ran back down the hall. Ino sat the arrangement on Sakura's bedside table and returned to the chair. "He'll be back soon. He sent you flowers," she whispered to her friend. She scanned the flowers again, gleaning the meanings of the blossoms. "Why does he feel that way? What happened?" Ino sighed, knowing that those answers were a long way away.

* * *

It wasn't long until Kakashi arrived back at the hospital. Ino looked up at him in surprise as he came through the door. She watched him glance quickly at the arrangement of flowers on the bedside table. "Who sent those?" he asked innocently, as Ino stood from the chair.

She gave him a knowing smile and shrugged. "There was no card."

"Ah," was his only response as he reclaimed his seat and gently ran his fingers from Sakura's elbow to her wrist before gently taking her hand.

Ino moved to the door, somehow feeling like she was intruding on the scene. Kakashi looked up when he heard the door screech. "Thank you, Ino," he said simply before returning his attention back to Sakura.

As the door shut behind Ino, he impulsively stood and tugged his mask down to lay a kiss on Sakura's forehead. Upon realizing what he had done, he chided himself and returned to his seat, pulled his mask up, and sat wondering what had come over him. He wrote it off as an affectionate sign of respect.

* * *

As night fell, he sat at her bedside, a hand slid under hers with his palm raised. Tsunade had come in to adjust the sedative drip from her IV, telling him that the drip would slow as the bag ran low and she would be awake within a few hours. She then unhooked the machines that monitored her heart rate and breathing, telling Kakashi that she would be less upset if they were gone before she woke but that he should keep an eye on her.

He nodded, acting as though he understood the medical jargon that Tsunade was speaking in.

"There's something we've got to talk about, Kakashi," she said, taking a seat on his ottoman.

He said nothing, just gave her an imploring look.

"What happened out there can't be discussed. I've got ANBU looking for the rogue. As much as it's not a conversation for someone who's just been woken up, she'll need to know as soon as possible that she can't speak of this."

"You sound concerned," he observed, her concern immediately making him worry.

"If this is something that she can control, or even if it's not, I don't want it getting out. Who knows what people would do to her in an attempt to learn how she managed it. And even if no one would pose a threat to her… well… you made your first appearance in one of the Bingo Books for less, didn't you? With the way she punches through walls when mad and some of the things she's concocted in the lab, I'm almost surprised she hasn't already landed those pages in some countries. She doesn't need that sort of reputation. I've done a lot to protect her from that."

"I hadn't thought of that," he admitted.

"You've been a bit preoccupied," she allowed.

"That's not like me. I should've thought of that earlier."

"It's alright. I'm sure that seeing that was it's own sort of trauma."

He nodded slowly, trying to not relive the sights or sounds of his attacker's last moments. It was not that he did not wish the man dead, but to see anyone go so violently was troubling.

"She's liable to not seem herself after this," Tsunade said softly. "I know it's not really your forte, but try to help her through tonight. I would stay, but I'm drained. I've been all day trying to recreate what she did on a smaller scale. So far it's not working. I don't want her using chakra until we get this sorted out. You need to tell her that too. And if she needs anything, anything at all, send someone for me."

"Thank you, Tsunade. I… I really appreciate it."

"She was my student too, Kakashi," she said in a tone that allowed that his concern was much greater than her own. It almost sounded like she was reminding him that Sakura had been under his guidance. He wondered on that thought for a moment before he nodded, rolling Sakura's hand over to trace the lines of her palm with his thumb. Tsunade took this as an indication that he was done with conversation and stood to leave for the night.


	3. Thursday - Awakening

Kakashi sat diligently at her bedside. He had left the door slightly ajar, so that if he should need to call for a nurse he wouldn't have to leave her. Now he was waiting on pins and needles. He had taken to pacing for a short time; only to realize that his footsteps were louder than usual due to his newly healed leg and he might be disturbing her. From then on he had remained sitting on the edge of his ottoman with his right hand beside hers on the bed, watching for any sign that she was waking.

He assumed that the gesture looked platonic, almost fatherly, to any passerby but in his mind that couldn't have been much further from the truth.

Watching Sakura sleep kept causing his mind to fall back to an incident during his early days in ANBU. Not long after his induction, he was sent on a mission with a fiery kunoichi named Shinju. She had been almost as skilled as she was beautiful. She had worn her long, dark blonde hair braided and rolled into a bun that she held in place with dozens of senbon. He could remember how her deep violet eyes had gleamed from behind her mask as she set about embedding those senbon in her enemy, allowing her braid to fall loose down her back. They had worked well together and the mission, which should have been much more difficult, was easily completed. She had insisted on taking him out to celebrate. And celebrate they did, but one thing had lead to another after they had left that dingy border-town bar. He had woken with her in his bed.

He had lay there, scarcely breathing with his arms wrapped loosely around her, watching her sleep. The shock of their entangled position had chased any semblance of a hangover from his system. He'd naively begun to wonder if it was more than a sake-fueled mistake; if she might actually care for him; if this might be a slightly messy beginning to a relationship with a woman who was nearly his equal.

Then she had woken, quickly taken in her position, and thrown herself from the bed. She had retreated to the bathroom, cursing herself and him as she gathered her uniform from the floor. When she had returned, fully clothed, she apologized for her actions. Shinju had begged him to not speak of it to anyone, fearing for the state of her engagement to the son of a wealthy merchant.

Of course, nothing more had come from the tryst. He recognized that it had been nothing more than a drunken mistake, but for a very long time what he had felt for those few minutes watching her sleep was how he defined love.

Years had passed, leaving him jaded and changing that definition, but now it was hard to not dredge up that feeling. Certainly the situations contrasted sharply; but to see a powerful kunoichi looking so innocent and vulnerable, and for it to be a woman he'd come to hold in such high regard – it definitely felt similar, perhaps stronger.

His mind wandered in an unexpected direction; substituting Sakura into Shinju's place for the alcohol-hazed memories of that night. It shocked him at first but he couldn't help but admit the appeal. She was a beautiful, strong woman who he trusted explicitly.

Trust. He paused on that thought. She trusted him and it was not good to take advantage of that by entertaining such thoughts. He was surprised at how dishonorable, almost dirty, the little fantasy made him feel. He'd never encountered this before. In a very real sense he felt as though he belonged to her now. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her. He knew he was a foolish old man for feeling that way. He knew she was too independent and strong and young to want anything from him, but still, he knew that he would give her anything that she wanted.

He found himself wondering what his reaction would have been like if Genma or Naruto had come to his aid. He knew the answer immediately. He would have bought the first round after they were released from the hospital, and gotten drunk enough himself to excuse getting a bit emotional when he thanked them. Then his mind set to substituting Shizune and Anko into the situation. It would not have been the same. He might have checked in on them once or twice, but he would not have all but moved into their hospital room waiting for them to awake. He would not have felt this overwhelming urge to protect either of them. His mind drifted to Rin and a long-ago promise to Obito. It was not the same. He wouldn't have hovered over her so closely. He would have slept in his own bed.

Kakashi tried to not think on such things, and instead turned his mind toward speculating what she would be like when she woke. Would she be scared? Would she be disoriented? Would she even remember what happened after the way she'd hit her head? Would she be mad at him for being drug into such a mess? He began to wonder if he should be the one waiting with her. What if she hated him for putting her through this?

He was pulled from his thoughts when a small, cold hand weakly grasped his. Her eyes were still closed tightly and she licked at her dry lips. Then she whispered one thing that he hadn't expected. "K- Ka - kashi… H-how's Kakashi?"

He couldn't hold back his low, relieved chuckle and he tightened his grasp on her hand.

Her eyes shot open. "Kakashi?" she asked.

"Welcome back, Sakura. It's very early Thursday morning. You're in the hospital."

She nodded absently. "How are you?"

"I'm fine, Sakura," he said, reaching for the glass of water on the bedside table.

"But you were…" she protested

"I'm all healed up now."

She released his hand and weakly reached toward his face. Sensing her intentions he captured her hand. "You know you got there in time. I still have the eye."

She nodded slowly, eyeing the glass in his hands.

"Are you thirsty?"

"Yes," she admitted feebly.

"Can you sit up?"

She began to struggle against the bed. The drugs that lingered in her system and her freshly healed injuries had left her weak.

He sat the cup down and moved to the head of her bed. Sitting beside her shoulders and balancing with one foot on the floor, he slipped a hand under each arm and pulled her up into a sitting position against his arm and the headboard. He retrieved the glass and handed it to her, watching as she drank.

He knew the moment that the memory of what she had done came back to her. She stopped mid gulp and pulled the glass away from her mouth as though it were poisoned. Her eyes went wide and her jaw hung slack: an obvious look of horror. He tried to take the glass from her, but he couldn't pry it away from her white-knuckled grip.

"It… it wasn't just a bad dream, was it?" she asked. She was panicking and beginning to shake.

"No," he said as softly as possible. "It was real. Let me have the glass, you'll break it."

She finally loosened her grip and he set it aside.

"I did that? Didn't I?" she sounded horrified.

"Yes," he said, tightening his arm around her shoulders and turning her to face him.

"But… But…"

"Shh…" he whispered. "You don't have to talk about it right now if you don't want to."

She seemed to think on it for a moment and then nestled her head into his shoulder. "Thank you," was her muffled reply.

"Of course. And if you need to later, I'm here. Okay?"

She nodded against his shoulder.

"Do you want some more water?"

"Not right now."

He held her for a few more moments and then spoke again. "Okay, lay back down. Tsunade says you need to rest." He moved to stand but she gripped his shirt. "Don't go," she pleaded.

He smiled slightly beneath his mask. "I'm not going to leave you. I was just going to the chair, unless you want me to stay right here, in which case I will."

She paused for a long moment. "I suppose the chair is… is okay," she finally said.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay." He gently helped her lay back down and then moved back to his chair, edging it tight to the side of her bed. He turned sideways in it to look at her, knowing this would be a difficult thing to explain. "I need to tell you that Tsunade sent ANBU after the rogue."

"ANBU? Why?"

"She deemed him to be more of a threat than originally thought."

"Well he did try to…" she began in a broken voice.

"Shh… try to not think about that," he said cupping her hand gently between his. "We both made it out alive. Don't think about anything other than that yet. It's too soon."

She looked up at him, her big green eyes shining, biting her bottom lip, and she nodded.

Kakashi found himself smiling beneath his mask again, amazed at how she seemed to trust him even after what she'd went through because of him. "That's only part of the reason," he hesitantly explained. "He was a witness. He probably saw what… happened to the medic. I don't think you want the reputation that you'd get if that became common knowledge."

She looked up at him, not quite understanding.

He could see her confusion and contemplated how to best explain without alarming her. He decided to mix the truth with a bit of humor, hoping to dispel the panic that he knew she would feel. "Tsunade thinks you could end up with a page. Especially in whatever country the medic and his thugs were from. Of course… in most places you'd be the youngest woman in the book, I suppose that's sort of an honor. And most of them are alphabetized. At least in Rock you'd get the page next to mine…" he realized that he was rambling. "But it's really better to stay out of those pages as long as possible. It makes travel difficult. I can't go on any 'normal' missions outside of Fire country and Wind anymore."

Just as he had predicted, Sakura panicked yet again. "You're joking… right? Please, tell me you're joking! I can't be listed in the Bingo Books! I just can't! I mean… we're shinobi… we fight… we kill… it happens every day…"

He took a long pause to study her face. He was concerned. "Sakura, do you remember what happened?"

"Yes, up until the point where I ran out of chakra."

"Then you know it's not what you did, but how you did it. It goes no further than you, Tsunade, Shizune, and I unless the Hokage says differently. You don't need a start at a reputation like mine. Promise me, Sakura?"

"Okay."

"Tsunade says that you aren't to summon any chakra until she says it's alright."

"Why?"

"I don't know. Just agree. It's not worth the fight."

"Okay, I won't"

"Good," he said, patting the back of her hand and laying it back on the bed. "You need to sleep."

"You're treating me like a child, you know," she snapped.

He took the return of her temper as a good sign. "I'm not so good with injured people… or women," he said softly.

"Then why are you here?"

He shrugged, obviously not able to tell her that there was nowhere else that he would allow himself to be after what she'd done for him. "Because you need company. Hospitals are lonely places and I didn't want you to wake up alone… after that." He inwardly cringed at the slight double meaning of his words.

"It's not like I've never killed before."

"Sakura, you don't need to be brave right now. Even I didn't sleep well after seeing that," he admitted with a slight shudder.

"I'm sorry."

"Just put it out of your mind. You can think on it when you're not so exhausted."

The room fell silent and Kakashi leaned back into his chair and propped his feet up, keeping one hand on the edge of her mattress. After a few long moments, he turned to watch her. She lay with her eyes closed, but he could tell that she wasn't sleeping. She was nearly as tense as she had been after dispatching the medic.

He wracked his brain for something that he could say to help her relax, or at least distract her. Mention of Sasuke was out of the question, and he knew she worried about Naruto when he was away on extended missions as he was now. He didn't think it was fitting to tell her stories of Tsunade that he'd gleaned from Jiraiya. Retelling stories from his favorite books was certainly out of the question.

That only left Kakashi with stories about himself. There weren't too many of those that were particularly pleasant. Then something came to him, and the story began much on it's own, "I became a chunin at the age of six. When I was little, everyone called me a prodigy. Except my mother, she called me a pest."

Sakura looked over at him, opening her eyes a slit, but not speaking. He had not ever spoken about his past to her; she assumed that he didn't talk about it with anyone. She didn't know what had come over him to cause this but she wasn't about to question it, so she just laid there listening to him speak.

"I was about four when I learned the basics of chakra control. I used to think it was a game to see what kind of places I could climb to in the house. One day my mother was in the kitchen, starting dinner, and I came in, walking across the ceiling. But I tripped on the header of the door frame…"

Sakura listened as his story continued, concentrating on his words and trying to picture a four-year-old version of her former sensei. The tone of his voice and the calming picture that his story brought to mind lulled her into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Sakura awoke well after dawn to the hushed sounds of Tsunade and Kakashi talking at her bedside.

"… take her off of the IV tonight."

"And then?"

"When she gets her strength back up, we'll release her with some limitations, and I'm going to order full supervision until we get everything figured out."

"How long will that take?" Sakura cut in.

Both turned to face her. Tsunade was the one to speak, "As long as it takes, Sakura. I won't have you taking any unnecessary chances. Kakashi, if you'll excuse us for a few moments I need to look her over and make sure that her chakra isn't affecting anything that we've done."

Kakashi nodded and stood. "I'll just be outside," he said to no one in particular as he closed the door behind him.

"Why would my chakra affect what was healed?"

"We don't know what happened out there, Sakura. Kakashi said that the medic was holding his chakra in check so the two thugs could get the upper hand. It's a possibility that he could have affected the way your chakra works."

"Oh. So that's why Kakashi said no chakra."

Tsunade nodded and began the exam. "How are you feeling?"

"Hungry."

"I'll have something sent in for you right away."

It was quiet in the room while Tsunade finished checking Sakura. "Everything seems to be okay. I think I want Hinata to look you over tomorrow. She'll be able to give me a more complete picture."

"But Kakashi said we weren't telling anyone what happened."

"He relayed my message. Good. I think I can fill Hinata in enough for her to be able to examine your chakra without telling her the whole story."

Sakura nodded. "How is Kakashi really doing?" she asked quietly.

"He wasn't nearly as injured as you when the two of you got back," Tsunade said absently.

"Was I that bad?"

"He didn't tell you?"

"No."

"You'll have to read your chart at some point," Tsunade said, pointing at the end of the bed. "You gave us quite a scare. I was just glad to find out that not all of that blood was yours."

Sakura shuddered slightly.

"We will figure out what happened. Don't worry about that."

"Okay."

"Now get some rest today. It's important. And lots of fluids."

"Yes ma'am."

Tsunade turned to walk out, Kakashi slipping back in before she even crossed the threshold. Sakura looked at him curiously as he sat back down in his chair. She turned to speak to him when the door opened and a nurse carried in a tray of food.

"Ugh…" Sakura moaned as she looked down at the tray. She would have taken instant ramen over what lay before her.

"What is it?" Kakashi asked.

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "This is rice, and I'm pretty sure this is broth… or maybe really bad tea, but as for the rest of it…"

Kakashi chuckled and reached into his bag for an apple. Kakashi made no attempt to hide his face from her, but kept a leery eye on the door as they ate in silence, Sakura reading her chart as she gagged down the mysterious meal that she'd been given. As soon as she'd finished reading her chart, Kakashi began another story from his past.

The day passed slowly. Sakura slept off and on and while she was awake, Kakashi spoke. She didn't understand it, but she wasn't going to ask him to be quiet or leave either.

Shizune appeared around seven and took the IV out, much to Sakura's relief. When she disappeared, Kakashi picked right back up with another tale.

Dinner was a bit scary, but not as worrisome as her early lunch had been.

Two anecdotes from Kakashi later, she finally fell asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Loving it? Hating it? See something that I missed in editing? Feedback is always appreciated.


	4. Friday - Backstory

Sakura was annoyed at still being in the hospital. She was a little sore, as was to be expected, but otherwise felt fine. She glanced over at the white-haired shinobi who was sleeping in the chair beside her bed. It was out of the ordinary for him to even appear concerned, but she took comfort in his presence. She suspected that he had kept the nightmares at bay.

She slid silently off the bed, glad to have been relieved of the IV, and made her way to the small bathroom. Finding a clean hospital gown and a soft towel on the back of the toilet was nearly enough to make her dance with joy. She probably would have, if it had not been a hospital gown. A quick shower did much to lift her mood.

When she exited the bathroom Kakashi was looking around the room slightly confused and alarmed. It looked as though he had just woken up. When he saw her he settled back into his chair, his features relaxing.

* * *

He left the room for a few moments while she ate breakfast, only to return to take up residence in the chair again. This time he was telling her about a mission he'd been on while in ANBU. "We were about twenty-five kilometers outside of Suna, trying to sneak up with a caravan of missing-nins that had been terrorizing our border towns. We weren't really even supposed to be there, but the order was to take care of them: borders be damned. There was nothing but the desert for miles. It was dry and dusty and disorienting. We traveled at night because it was cooler and the wind died down. I can't tell you who all was there, but there were seven of us. I was leading one team and Ibiki was leading the other. Shizune was along as a medic, but I shouldn't really tell you that.

"You know Ibiki: big, sort of scary, lots of scars. He oversees torture and interrogation now. Well, he didn't wear his boots like we were supposed to in the desert. His toes were hanging out and he was griping because his sandals keep filling up with sand. We were maybe five hundred meters from the caravan, crouched down behind a small dune, finalizing our attack plan when Ibiki stepped on a scorpion. It retaliated. He managed to stay quiet while he was dancing around like a possessed man. I ended up having to…"

Kakashi stopped his story abruptly when Tsunade walked in. Obviously this one had been classified, Sakura thought.

Tsunade took in stock of the scene in front of her. Kakashi was perched on the very edge of the ottoman, which sat just a few feet from the bed. He was leaning forward with his forearms resting on his knees. Similarly, Sakura was sitting cross-legged on the bed, leaning into his story.

Sakura frowned. "I want to hear the rest of this later," she insisted.

"Of course."

"Kakashi," Tsunade said, "you need to go with Shizune for a little while."

"How long?"

"As long as it takes. Not more than three or four hours I'd say." Tsunade anticipated his next request and said, "Stop off at the desk and tell Ino on your way out. She's been itching to get some time alone with Sakura."

He gave an appreciative nod and stepped out into the hall.

Tsunade turned to Sakura. "We're going to look at your chakra system. I've briefed Hinata as far as she needs to be for this. She'll be checking for any anomalies, but first I need to know exactly what you did to him. I know it had to be more subtle than a force of chakra, because I've been trying to replicate it on a small scale and if you could have pulled it off, you wouldn't have been moving afterwards. It would have drained you to the point of death."

Sakura sighed. This is why she had been enjoying Kakashi's company so much. He wasn't asking any difficult questions. In fact, he wasn't asking any questions at all. "I… I… made a lot of little incisions using my chakra knife. He was healing them as fast ask I could make them. I went to cut off his chakra source and he pushed back. I pushed harder. It was like pushing a kunai into a paper bomb. He just… went."

"Why?"

"I don't know."

"I mean why not just kill him with brute force?"

Sakura knew this answer. She could still feel the rage that had fueled her decision, but that wasn't something that she was ready to tell, so she provided Tsunade with the lesser reasons. The reasons that she used to justify what she had done long after it was over. "I knew he had backup in the area, and it should have been quieter. I had Kakashi to heal and it didn't take as much chakra. He was a medic, it almost seemed fitting."

Tsunade thought for a moment, seeming to sense that there was more to it than that. "Do you think you could do it again?"

"I don't _want_ to," she said adamantly, a horrified look flickering across her face.

"But _could_ you?"

"Maybe," Sakura allowed, "but I think they would have to push back. He was strong. Not quite as strong as me, but a little stronger than Shizune."

Tsunade nodded. "Before I let Hinata in, I want you to know that the rogue that Kakashi was after is no longer a threat. He didn't have the opportunity to inform anyone about what he witnessed before ANBU reached him. I still don't want you telling anyone exactly what happened, but as for now the only potential danger you're facing is medical."

Sakura nodded and Tsunade opened the door for Hinata, who smiled shyly, "How are you feeling, Sakura?"

"Better. Much better."

* * *

Shizune led Kakashi out of the hospital as she spoke to him in a hushed whisper. "ANBU caught up to your rogue. He won't be sharing any information on what happened Tuesday."

"Good."

"Tsunade and Hinata are assessing Sakura's chakra network. If she gets the all clear, Tsunade is going to release her to you around noon tomorrow, if that's still what you want."

"It is."

"Then I'm to help you get things around for her stay. Tsunade wants her at your place. She thinks that the two of you won't be comfortable in her apartment."

"I assumed as much. I had it cleaned."

She raised an eyebrow. "That will save us time. I've been told to inform you that groceries and the like will be provided, but that she'll only be paying this as a D-class mission unless something comes up."

"Hmm… I wasn't really expecting to be paid at all."

Shizune tried to rapidly blink away her surprised expression, but she only succeeded at making herself look more shocked. She quickly changed the subject. "We'll go to Sakura's and take what she'll need to your place. Then we'll head to the market to stock your kitchen. I'm supposed to make sure that she'll be comfortable for her stay."

"How long will she be with me?"

"Until we get some answers. There aren't exactly test subjects for this situation."

Kakashi's body language turned rigid. "I understand," he said in a cold voice.

"You do?" she asked cautiously.

"Yes. She'll be with me until Tsunade finds documentation explaining things or until she finds an enemy medic to pit her against."

Shizune looked shocked.

"I won't tell Sakura," he said as they entered Sakura's apartment, "but I won't let her face someone like that without me."

As she packed Sakura's clothes, Shizune's eyes fell upon her picture of Team Seven. "This… Your sudden…" she was trying to choose her words carefully. "Your change in character over the last week. It's not because she was your student, is it?"

"I should have seen this coming," he lamented.

"Tell me, Kakashi? Please? If not Tsunade is planning to lock you in her office until she gets her answers. And with the way she is over this, I'm sure you'd much rather talk to me."

He heaved a sigh and lowered himself to sit on the edge of Sakura's bed. "Have you read my file?"

Despite herself, Shizune left out a loud, almost cynical laugh. "Have you _seen_ your file?"

He shook his head.

"This incident started the second drawer of your _third cabinet_ ," she clarified. "The reason Tsunade allows you to hand in such sub-par reports is that they take up less space."

"Ah," he said, motioning for her to sit.

She knelt on the rug at his feet, and looked up at him expectantly. He would have laughed at her child-like expression if not for the story he was going to have to tell.

"I don't really know where to start," he haltingly admitted. "I was a quick learner as a child, some would say a prodigy. My father took real pride in that; at least he seemed to when he was home. But after that last mission nothing was the same. I'm sure you know the details on that: everyone seems to. When he killed himself, I swore I'd never loose sight of the mission the way that he did. At that point all life became expendable for the sake of the mission: my comrades, even my own.

"My mother's spirit died with my father and she passed not long after. I lost other family members along the way: aunts, uncles, and cousins. And as far as my grandparents – I never knew them. By the time I was ten or eleven all that I had was my team. My sensei took me in.

"I think you're too young to have known my teammates, but I know you've seen the same dynamic in the team that I taught. Obito was much like Naruto: loud, brash, and determined. You may have heard the comparison before, but that doesn't change the fact that there is a real parallel between Rin and the way Sakura was as a genin. It went beyond their physical appearance. Rin was a bit vain but held so much potential as a medic. We were in a war, so she started her medic training early. As far as myself, well the only real difference between Sasuke and I is that I didn't seek power as fervently as he did; probably because there was no one left for me to exact revenge upon. Perhaps that's why I took to those three as opposed to the other students that I was given. I saw their potential and in a way it was a twisted sort of atonement."

He paused for a long moment and then pushed up his hitai-ate. "Do you know the story behind this?" he asked, his left eye snapping open, the tomes spinning in their usual lazy manner.

She hated to speak, for fear that he would stop. His words had been spoken grudgingly at best. It was plain that he was not accustomed to talking about his past. She mulled over that for a long moment, and then shook her head. Shizune remained silent until it became obvious that he would not say another word until she said something. "It was never discussed between Tsunade and I. I only know what you said Tuesday. Before then I suppose that I assumed that it was how you were born, that perhaps you partially Uchiha on your mother's side or something. "

He smiled kindly behind his mask, but his right eye maintained a sad, strained expression as he replaced his hitai-ate. After another sigh, he spoke again. "This isn't all a matter of record, nor should it be."

Shizune nodded.

"I suppose I should tell you about another facet of my original team that paralleled Sakura's. Obito loved Rin. Rin only had eyes for me. And I was completely indifferent. It was exactly how Naruto, Sakura, and Sasuke were in the beginning.

"We were about 13. The mission that we were sent on was fairly simple, until Rin was taken. I wanted to push ahead without her. Obito refused to abandon her. He argued like you wouldn't believe – it almost made Naruto look calm and collected. We split for a little while, but I ended up doubling back to help him. I knew he was right.

"On the way in, I jumped in front of a kunai meant for him. Something about that awoke his Sharingain. I lost my left eye, but we got Rin back. We were almost out of the cavewhen the wall gave way. It was a Rock-nin that triggered the collapse. Obito gaveme a hard shove, pushing me out of the way, but the rockslide caught him full force.

"We couldn't get him out from under it. He was half-crushed, lying there: dying, cracking jokes the whole while. Then suddenly he turned serious and beckoned me closer. 'Promise me you'll take care of her,' he demanded.

"I'd learned so much from him that day. He showed me that I'd misjudged my father's decision and that the rules weren't as important as life. In retrospect I think he even gave me my first glimpse of completely selfless love. I swore I'd do everything in my power for her. I said it just like that: 'everything in my power.' He just gave me a sly grin and said, 'And mine too.'

"Then he called Rin over. She was a wreck. He pulled his hitai-ate off and draped it loosely around her neck with his free hand. 'Rin-chan,' he said, 'Give him my eye.'

"I didn't see it coming and I tried to argue. 'Look at me,' he snapped. 'I'm not going to need it. And with only one you'll spend the rest of your life behind a desk or as a civilian. And how would you keep your promise to me then? Just call it a gift.' I nodded. What else could I do?

"Rin leaned down and kissed him, fully on the lips. He was smiling as she started. As far as medics go, she was probably the best in our generation, but her chakra control wasn't perfect. That's why I can't turn it off. Tsunade has offered to fix that, but I won't let her.

"As soon as the transplant was complete, Obito told us to go. I ended up killing that Rock-nin first, but then we left. He didn't want comfort in the end. Knowing we were safe was his comfort. We said our goodbyes, and left. We'd barely made it out when it finished collapsing on him."

Shizune discretely wiped away a tear as Kakashi continued. "Six months, maybe a year later, Rin was called up on a mission. She'd nursed me as I'd adjusted to the eye, which I'll admit wasn't an easy transition, but she'd loved Obito in his death. She wore his hitai-ate just as he'd put it on her. It was always around her neck, the insigna upside down. I think the only time she took it off was to shower.

"She showed up at the monument just before she departed. She never said a word to me, just pulled up my hitai-ate and stared into his eye. Then she leaned in, kissed my scared eyelid, and disappeared.

"Three weeks later they sent her and Obito's hitai-ates to me. I know that they traditionally go to family, but his had lost respect for him after the way he had broken protocol and gone off after Rin. Rinhad none left that were capable of understanding. Her mother was still alive at the time, but she was a civilian who had gotten caught in a terrible genjutsu: even after it was released, she wouldn't have even known that Rin was her daughter. So, they were both sent to me. His hitai-ate was stained with her blood. I never got all of the details, just that she was working on a fallen shinobi when she was killed. Neither of them ever made it off the battlefield. I know his name is on the monument somewhere, but I don't know exactly who. So many died in that battle.

"I lost my sensei too. He was a good man. He'd taken me in after my parents passed. He and Kushina were family. What he did for Konoha was noble. I've never held his sacrifice against Naruto. I don't need to give you the details. Even though no one is supposed to talk about it, I'm sure you know his story."

Shizune nodded.

"After that, I threw myself into mission after mission. Some ANBU, some less dangerous, some so secret that they didn't even want ANBU's mark on it. There are things that I have done that were never recorded, and for good reason. I did a lot of terrible things and a lot of very dangerous things. It's not that I wanted to die. I wanted to understand why I had lived.

"I'm not saying that I've never gotten hurt, but I'm almost always the least injured. And I'm not saying that I've never saved a life, but I can't tell you how many broken comrades I've carried off the field. The closest I've come to death was poison once, but that hardly counts because if I hadn't slipped up and cut myself on my own weapon, I'd not had that experience. If I have to be hauled into the hospital for anything, it's usually exhaustion.

"Then Tuesday, I was loosing to three lesser ninja. I threw everything I had at them but nothing quite worked since the medic was holding my chakra in check. Her control is better than mine; I believe she broke right through his control on her. She came to my aid.

"Usually, when I'm in a tight spot, everyone else falls back and lets it play out. I don't mean that to sound cocky, it's just that most people seem to think that I have the best chance. But she just flew straight into the middle of it.

"She probably saved my life. She definitely saved Obito's eye. She saved the only connection that I have to the person who made the biggest impact on my life. Or at least the biggest impact up until that point."

Shizune took a moment of silence as indication that his story was over. "You know people are worried about you," she said simply.

"I know, but they don't need to be. And before you even ask, I've been out of Sakura's room enough to hear the rumors. I'm not loosing my mind or living in the past. I draw no connections between Sakura and Rin."

Shizune gave him a sheepish smile, which led him to assume that he'd answered her next question.

"I can't quite explain it," he said, almost in a whisper. "I've never been indebted to someone who was still alive. It's not a bad thing though. I know I'll never be able to fully repay her, but I'll do my damnedest."

Shizune regarded the white-haired shinobi who looked almost painfully out of place against Sakura's flowered bedspread and pale yellow walls. "I want to tell you something," she said slowly. "But you have to realize that it's not a matter of record; if it were it would be considered classified. And I don't want you to read too much into it."

Kakashi looked at her questioningly.

"I was on a team delivering supplies to the front lines of the battle that Rinwas killed in. I knew of her as a medic, but not that she was part of your team. After the battle, my team ended up having to help carry the dead and wounded from the battlefield. I saw the man she died trying to save. I knew of him. He had a family, a civilian wife and a very young daughter." She paused, allowing him to process that much before showing him the full scope of the situation. "Kakashi, he was the father that Sakura never got to know."

Kakashi gasped for breath. "I – I didn't know… I didn't even know her father was dead… just that he wasn't around."

"She doesn't tell anyone. She only knows that he died bravely – but so many did. She doesn't want pitied."

"Fate loves irony," Kakashi whispered.

"I asked you to not read anything into it."

"You didn't say it would be so obvious. Lets get back to work. I need to get back to the hospital."

"Can I ask you something personal first, Kakashi?"

"More personally than we've already discussed?"

"Perhaps. Did you come to love Rin?"

"Ah. I should have seen this coming too. No."

"Not at all?"

"She was a teammate, a friend, a caretaker, and a responsibility. I never saw her in any other light. We spent much of her last months together. It was easier to be around her then. She only loved the parts of me that were Obito's."

"I see," she said, looking meaningfully at his covered eye.

"I'm pretty sure that you don't," he said kindly. "I got more than just his eye. I'vegot his sense of time now too. I'd die for my teammates, not just to keep them alive, but simply to keep them from harm. I read the books that he used to hide under his mattress. I actually snuck into his house to get them on the way home from the mission that he died on so his mother wouldn't find them. Everything was a rather quick, but unconscious, change."

"But she didn't love him until he was gone?"

"She loved him from the moment she saw him after I broke the genjutsu that she was trapped in. She'd resigned herself to her fate, knowing that I'd never attempt a rescue with a mission at hand. I saw it in her right away. She noted my injury but it wasn't the priority it would have been if she had still loved me. She clung to his hand as we ran. She kissed him before she took his eye and again before we left. When she came to me at the monument, she wasn't there for me. She never even acknowledged me. She was saying her final goodbye to what was left of Obito. She knew she couldn't run any further from fate. She loved him because he was willing to make the sacrifice, not because he actually did. It took me a long time to understand that."

"How long?"

He gave a wistful smile beneath his mask. "Almost twenty years."

* * *

Ino seemed very uncomfortable as she chattered on about the local gossip.

Finally Sakura had enough. "Ino, were you here when Kakashi and I came in?"

The blonde seemed taken aback by the question. It was pretty obvious that she'd been hoping to avoid this topic all together. "Yes. Why?"

"What were the names of the medics who brought us in? I'd like to thank them."

Ino gave a little gasp and her blue eyes lit up the way they did when she'd heard an incredibly juicy story. "Oh… you don't know," she giggled.

Sakura frowned.

"There were no medics." Ino explained. "Kakashi brought you in."

"He couldn't' have, I just barely had his leg starting to knit back together, and he'd lost a bit of blood from a head wound."

Ino shrugged. "Shizune said he made the injury a lot worse, and that it was mostly adrenaline that got him back."

Sakura nodded slowly. "Well, I should at least thank whoever got me from the gate to the hospital."

"Kakashi wouldn't hand you over to anyone but Tsunade herself. That little mutt of his pulled her out of a lunch meeting. It would seem that a talking nin-dog is enough to frighten a powerful daimyo from Rock."

"I'm beginning to think that I missed a lot while unconscious," Sakura said with a sigh, leaning back against her pillows.

Ino bit her lip and nodded. "What I want to know is what's up with Kakashi?"

"He's been here. Telling me crazy stories, keeping me entertained. I think it's his way of saying 'thank you'."

"Those," Ino said, pointing at the flowers on the bedside table, "are his way of saying thank you. Wait. Why is he thanking you?"

"He said they showed up while he was out."

"They did. I was sitting with you when they arrived. I got his description from our delivery boy. Do you know what they mean?"

Sakura shook her head, studying the blossoms.

"Bluebells for gratitude. Willow for bravery. Red poppy for devotion."

Sakura looked puzzled, but pushed that to the back of her mind for the moment, picking a topic that would be easier to discuss with Ino. "I know Tsunade and Shizune worked on me. Were you on the team treating Kakashi?"

Ino let out a little gasp, "He really didn't tell you anything at all, did he?"

"No," Sakura admitted. "He's just sort of been here, you know?"

"Believe me, I know."

"So, did you heal him?"

"I got him a crutch and … um… helped him play hero."

"Maybe you'd better tell me the whole story."

"Someone's going to be mad at me for this. I just know it," Ino said, inching closer to Sakura. "He brought you into the hospital. He was limping and you both still had senbon sticking out of you. He was bleeding a little bit, but you were completely drenched in blood. You were tossed over his shoulder, hanging limp and he just looked crazy. Tsunade and Shizune brought you in here right away. He wasn't in as bad of shape as you were. The senbon that caught him didn't cause any real damage aside from drawing a little blood, and I'd say you knew the extent of his injuries beyond that."

Sakura nodded.

"Well he did have a couple bad ones though, mostly the ankle. So some of the other medics tried to get him in a room."

"Tried?"

"Yeah. Tried. He refused a bed. He wouldn't let anyone spend chakra on him until he knew that you were alright."

"So what did he do? Sit in the waiting room dripping blood everywhere?" she was more than a little frustrated by his lack of concern for himself.

"No… he wouldn't go that far."

Sakura's eyes narrowed. "I don't understand."

"There's a chair right outside your door. He was in it for a while… when he wasn't pacing at the window on his crutch. He sent away everyone who tried to help him, some forcefully. He swatted Shizune. I got him a basin and some gauze, but he took the senbon out himself. He wouldn't let anyone 'waste' their chakra."

"But he was hurt!"

"He just kept saying, 'Don't touch me, I'm fine. Help her.'"

"Why would he…?"

"I don't know."

"It doesn't stop there does it?"

"Not even close."

Sakura gritted her teeth. "Go on."

"He finally let Shizune work on him in the hall after they were done with you. They ended up having to clear everyone out of the area because he wouldn't go to Tsunade's office to brief her on what happened. I was sent away too, but I overheard Shizune talking to one of the medics who deals with the over-stressed."

"You mean one of the psychologists?" Sakura asked, alarmed.

"Yeah, like I said, he was crazy at first. Anyway Shizune told the medic that Kakashiwouldn't give Tsunade any sort of a report until he saw that you were okay. She ended up having to open the blinds to your room so he could see you to get him to talk. The medic says that it was an acceptable reaction to trauma.

"After he filled Tsunade in, we were allowed back into the area. He went into the bathroom across the hall and cleaned himself up: she wouldn't let him into your room because of how filthy he was. I saw Shizune and one of the janitors bringing in this chair and ottoman. I had to get him a couple towels and a change of clothes. Once he got most of the blood and grime off, he made a beeline for your room. You should have seen it: Kakashi, wearing his mask, scrub pants, and a t-shirt that would have been too big for Chouji. I guess it was sort of sad, but priceless.

"He wouldn't leave your side. Tsunade ended up having to send him home to change clothes and get something to eat. And even then he wouldn't let you be alone. I sat with you while he was gone. He was acting like… I don't know… protective… devoted… Like you're carrying his child or something."

Sakura burst out laughing, nearly tumbling off the bed.

"Are you?" Ino asked, much too seriously.

"No! Of course not! It's just… That's just the funniest thing I've heard in months! Ever!"

"But why is he being like this? I mean, what happened out there?"

"I can't tell you," Sakura said in a surprisingly serious tone.

"Sakura, it's just me. I can control myself, I won't tell anyone else."

"It's not that. Tsunade is treating this as being beyond classified. She's afraid of the reputation that could come of it."

"That doesn't make sense. I mean… what were you doing when you were attacked."

"I wasn't attacked. I was in the gardens."

"Now it really doesn't make any sense," Ino said.

"He was in a tight spot."

"Oh. You helped him. I guess that explains the bluebells and the willow. But how can that be bad for your reputation? So what if you're helpful. That's not a bad thing."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh, but it didn't sound to Ino like she really found it amusing. "I'll say this once. You'll never breathe a word of it and you won't ask me any more questions about it ever. Are we clear?"

Ino nodded.

"Tsunade thinks that if what happened wasn't a fluke and it got out, that it would probably earn me a page in the book. That's why she is keeping things so quiet."

"The book? What book?"

Sakura shot her an exasperated look.

Ino gasped. "That book?! The Bingo Book? Damn, girl. What…"

"Keep your voice down. No questions. And you be sure to keep your mouth shut."

For a brief second, Ino looked about to argue, but then she clamped her mouth shut and turned her attention to the flowers that Kakashi had sent.

She studied the flowers for a few minuets. The silence that hung in the air was nearly tangible. It was quickly making Sakura uncomfortable.

Finally the blonde turned back to her friend. "He loves you, Sakura… He might even be in love with you," she said softly.

* * *

Shizune walked through the market with Kakashi in tow. The silence was getting to her. She had to do something to break the tension. A sly grin crossed her face for the briefest moment and she slid a package of cleaned sea urchins into the basket.

"Whoa. What is that?" he asked, gently poking the package.

"Are you kidding me?"

The look on his face made it apparent that he wasn't. "I'm a shinobi, not a chef."

"Well I'm sure Sakura-"

He cut her off, "could burn water."

Shizune looked surprised. "I assumed that she had cooked for you and the boys on missions."

"Once. Only once."

She nodded, but still looked confused.

"Remember the soldier pills that she made for Naruto when he was training at the waterfall?"

The color drained from her face.

"It was worse… I cooked after that."

"But you said you weren't a chef."

"Grilled fish. Stir-fry. Fried eggs. Rice. Normal food. I don't eat anything I can't identify."

"But it's just…"

"I don't want to know!"

"But you just asked a minute ago."

"I changed my mind. If I know what it is, you'll think I should eat it. At this point I'm not even sure if it came from a plant or an animal. Put it back!"

At that point, Shizune lost her composure. She nearly dropped the basket as she doubled over in laughter.

As she composed herself and put the package back in the ice bin, Kakashi realized what had just happened. "That wasn't very nice," he told her.

"It got you talking. You were being too quiet."

"I'm a quiet guy."

"You've been talking to Sakura non-stop."

"Is this your way of asking me another question?"

Shizune simply looked at him.

"And you want me to answer it here?"

"Sure."

He looked around suspiciously before replying, "What happened… What she did… It reminded me of the first time that I used the Chidori against an opponent. Not when I'd killed the Rock-nin that collapsed the wall on Obito, but the first time that I used it and actually had time to process the effects. It got the desired results, but it was so much… messier than I expected."

"I don't understand."

"I had nightmares for weeks," he snapped, seeming embarrassed.

"Oh."

"That's when I started reading Obito's books. They spawned a different sort of dream." He sighed. "I think it still helps, because I haven't opened one of those books since Monday night and the dreams have been vicious. Last night, all I could see was red and all I could hear was the end of the medic."

"So you've been reciting smut to her for the past week?"

He looked at her incredulously. "Do I look crazy? Did you hear what she did to Naruto as soon as he tried to show Konohomoru his new perverted jutsu? No, I've been wracking my brain for every benign story, every harmless anecdote from my past. It started when she woke up Wednesday night. When Tsunade ran me off today, I was telling her about Ibiki stepping on the scorpion. You were the medic on that mission, weren't you?"

Shizune gave an amused smile and nodded. "I'd almost forgotten about that."

"He's still afraid of them."

"How could you know that?"

"Did you see him when Kankuro brought his new puppet to town a few years ago?"

"Oh." She giggled. "That."

"Yeah. He wouldn't leave his house until they were back in Suna."

"I suppose we all have a weakness," she allowed.

"There you go again, with the questions that aren't questions, that you think you already know the answer to."

"But that wasn't a question."

"It was going to be. So let's keep this even."

"Pardon?"

"If everyone has a weakness, what's yours?"

"Oh." She seemed to deliberate for a moment, blushing, "I don't think I can tell you that."

"You've been dragging things out of me for the past couple of hours."

"But this is personal."

"And what you were asking me wasn't?"

"But it's a secret… and sort of embarrassing."

"We could always do this the hard way," he threatened, reaching to lift his hitai-ate.

"No! No!" she panicked. Then looked around the market. A resigned look crossed her face as she leaned up on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

Kakashi's jaw dropped at her response, causing his mask to inch down his nose. His exposed eye was still wide as he set about straightening his mask. "When you said a little embarrassing, I thought perhaps you were afraid of spiders, or mice."

Her blush deepened as she paid the shopkeeper.

"I suppose you've not told," he asked.

"No! Of course not."

"Why not?" he asked sincerely. His mind drifted back to a conversation around the table at the bar a couple weeks before.

"Why haven't you told Sakura about Obito?" she countered.

"I have."

"Like you told me earlier?"

"No," he sighed. "The time hasn't been right."

"Then you know why I've kept my secret to myself as well."

"But you don't have anything to lose."

"And what could you lose?"

"Her respect."

"That you'll have to explain to me."

"I was given the eye as a gift – but it was for a purpose. After Rin was killed, I felt that I had failed. I didn't think that I deserved to keep it. I considered cutting it out myself."

She looked a bit taken aback by this confession. "And now?"

"What you told me brought it into focus a bit. It's starting to make sense now. I'm glad I kept it."

"Why not let Tsunade fix it so you can turn it off and save your chakra?"

"I'm not sure you'll understand."

"Try me."

"The eye and some of my habits are what I have left of Obito. The way it works is all that remains of Rin."

He left her to think on that as he slipped inside the shop that they had stopped in front of to collect his laundry.

Shizune was waiting with another question when he appeared. "Will you tell Sakura about her father?" she asked.

"It would be dishonorable to not."

"And will you tell her my secret?"

"Most likely," he admitted slyly.

* * *

It took Sakura several long moments to digest what Ino had said. "What?!" she sputtered.

"Well you've got to admit that it's plausible."

"How do you figure?"

Ino held up a hand, counting off her points on her fingers as she spoke. "He carried you the whole way back here when he could have just summoned one of his dogs to get help. I heard it was about six kilometers, on a broken leg.

"Once he gets you back here he acts all crazy: refusing treatment, playing hero. He wouldn't even leave your side unless Tsunade ordered him away, and even then he insisted that someone sit with you while he was gone.

"He bought you flowers. He only buys flowers for people who are dead and it's always the same thing: a daffodil and some sweet peas. Plus, one of those flowers screams devotion.

"Then there's always the way he looks at you."

"He's not looking at me any differently than usual," Sakura protested.

"Not while you're awake to see it. When you were unconscious and while you're asleep is a different story."

"Different how?"

"I don't know. He's sure not been the hard-ass that you described him as when you were training under him. He's been gentle: almost caring. And anytime anyone came in while you were unconscious, he was touching you."

"What?" Sakura asked, feeling a bit violated.

"Not like that! He was holding your hand, running his fingers up your arm, playing with your hair: nothing perverse. When I came in to sit with you on Wednesday it was like he was so wrapped up in you that he didn't even hear the door open. I really don't know what else to make of it."

Sakura was silent for a moment, mulling over what Ino had told her.

"Would it really be so terrible if he did?" Ino finally asked.

"If he did what?"

"If he loved you? I mean… sure, there's an age difference, but I've been seeing a guy who's older than Kakashi, and no one has said anything to us about it. And I know he used to be your teacher, but that was years ago, too long ago for it to matter."

Sakura ignored Ino's question in favor of asking her own. "You've said a couple times that he played hero. What do you mean by that?"

"Oh, no! I'm not telling you about that. You'll be mad at me forever for allowing it. You'll have to ask Kakashi what he insisted on doing."

"Is it really that bad?"

"It's worse than anything I've told you so far."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence that became too much for Sakura to handle. She knew better than to let it go on too long because Ino had a way of getting her to tell secrets that she didn't want to share with finally broke the tension by asking, "So, what do you mean you're seeing a guy who's older than Kakashi?"

* * *

About twenty minutes later a soft knock came at the door. Ino opened it to find Kakashi, standing there patiently, holding a small brown bag.

Ino smiled and held the door open wider. Kakashi walked through as Ino exited and laid the bag on Sakura's tray table.

"What is it?"

"Just open it. I thought that maybe after what you've been through in here the past few days you'd like it."

She looked at him questioningly and unrolled the top of the bag. "Oooh! Ramen!" she exclaimed happily.

He shrugged. "It's not really real food, but it's not hospital food either."

"Mmmm…."she said, digging in. "I could kiss you for this if my mouth wasn't so busy!"

Kakashi's exposed eye widened in shock. Had she just said what he thought she said? Surely not!

Sakura noted his expression. "You know what I mean!"

He laughed. "I've got another story for you," he said, changing the subject.

"Finish the one you were telling me this morning first."

"Oh, well they do tie in together. Where was I?"

"Ibiki was dancing around like he was possessed."

"Ah. Yes. Shizune couldn't keep up with him enough to remove the poison. I ended up having to knock him out with my Sharingain so she could work on him. He's still afraid of scorpions. When Kankuro came to town a couple years ago with his new puppet, Ibiki wouldn't even leave his house."

Sakura nearly snorted. "Really?"

"Yes. Actually he wouldn't come back until he was sure they were in Suna again. But Shizune and I were talking about that while we ran some errands for Tsunade, and she observed that everyone has a weakness. She guessed mine, so I made her tell me hers."

" _You_ have a weakness?"

He stifled a chuckle. "Of course, everyone does. I'm sure you know what mine is."

She thought for a moment. "Icha Icha."

This time he couldn't hide his laugh. "No."

"Then what?"

"What's yours?"

She took a long moment to consider exactly how to word her response. "There are people who are precious to me. They give me strength, but without them that strength would be gone. I would be nothing without them."

He smiled kindly. "See, we're not so different?"

"And Shizune?"

"She didn't want to tell me. I threatened to use the Sharingan on her in the middle of the market. It was the only way to get her to give in."

"It couldn't be that bad."

"Oh, it's embarrassing."

"Really? How embarrassing?"

He waited until she had swallowed the bite of ramen she was eating. "Horribly embarrassing. Gai-embarrassing."

"As embarrassing as Gai? There aren't many things as embarrassing as Gai."

"No. There's only one thing that embarrassing."

"Lee – But that doesn't make any sense at all."

He laughed. "You're not getting it, are you?"

She shook her head.

"She's got a thing for Gai," he said slowly.

The look that crossed Sakura's face was priceless. "Eww!"

"It wouldn't be so funny if he hadn't been spouting off at the bar last weekend about her 'youthful beauty' or something like that. And she assures me that he's not really so bad if you know him. But she's too shy to get to know him any better."

"Is that so?" Sakura asked with a smirk.

Kakashi didn't answer her. Truth be known, he was a bit concerned by the scheming look on her face.

* * *

Once they entered her office, Tsunade pulled the door shut behind Hinata and then took her seat behind the desk. "What did you see?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary."

"Nothing at all?"

"No."

"Hmm… Can you be at the hospital a week from Monday to check her again?"

"Yes, Lady Tsunade."

"Very good. You may go."

Hinata gave a small bow and headed for the door.

Tsunade got a full fifteen minutes of peace before Shizune burst into her office. She boldly stole the glass of sake that Tsunade had just poured herself and flopped into the nearest chair.

Tsunade laughed loudly. "Was it that bad?"

Shizune nodded, clutching the glass like a lifeline. "It's been a very long, very trying couple of hours."

"I can see that," Tsunade allowed, digging in her desk drawer until she found her other glass. "Did you get him to talk?"

"Yes."

"Care to fill me in?" she asked sarcastically.

"Everything makes sense now. He talked a lot."

"And he's no threat, just as I assumed, correct?"

"No threat at all. Nothing of the sort… He loves her."

"What?!"

"Not romantically!" Shizune amended quickly. "He's… devoted. It's completely selfless."

"Does this have anything to do with that girl who was on his team as a genin?"

"Rin? He told me that he'd heard the rumors, and assured me that he didn't think of Rin as anything other than a colleague and a friend and that he didn't compare Sakura to Rin."

"That's good. But now you've got me curious. What is going on with him?"

"She lived."

"I don't understand."

"It's sort of hard to explain. It seems that anyone who profoundly affected his life died in the process."

"Oh."

"But she didn't. Now he'll do anything to keep her safe and happy."

"Anything?"

Shizune nodded. "He even told me that he thinks that he finally understands Rin."

"What did he say, exactly?"

"He told me that Obito loved Rin, but Rin had feelings for him, but he wasn't interested: just like Team Seven. I didn't know about the mission that Obito was killed on, so he told me about Rin's kidnapping and rescue. He said that Rin loved Obito at the end, because he was willing to risk his life for her, not because he died in the process of saving her."

"What does that have to do with Kakashi?"

"He said it took him almost twenty years to understand that."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Oh."

"Yeah… Oh."

"I think I'm going to have to trust you on this. In your honest opinion is there any reason that she shouldn't stay with him?"

"No," Shizune said. "Unless you're worried about how she's going to react to it."

"That's not really my concern," Tsunade said. "I don't want her alone. I need Ino in her place at the hospital and Hinata in Ino's. I trust Kakashi and so does she. He's really the only logical choice."

* * *

That night he watched as she drifted off to sleep rather early. It had become his habit over the last few days. Staying awake and watching her sleep was preferable to the dreams that he knew lurked on the other side of consciousness. He was in no hurry to greet those nightmares with open arms.

After he had woken the night before, he had watched her and his mind had wandered. Every image that his mind conjured up he had shot down immediately.

He hadn't been making excuses when he told Shizune why he was constantly reading Icha Icha, but now his mind's ingrained reaction to his unpleasant dreams was working against him.

Usually the women staring in his dreams were straight from the pages of his books: buxom blondes or mysterious, dark-haired beauties, but that had changed over the last few nights. Now his dreams had reverted to unspeakable terrors and his daydreams kept falling back on a young woman with pink hair and shining green eyes.

He couldn't decide which was worse: sleeping and giving into the nightmares or staying awake and being drug off into the daydreams.

He opted for sleep deprivation and fending off the unwelcome fantasies. 'Better the devil you know…' he mused.

He was trying to decide whether it was better or worse on his conscience that the version of Sakura in his daydreams acted more innocent than the women who were normally part of his dreams. He wasn't making much headway on his decision, as he quite unwillingly fell asleep.

_It was partially cloudy and the leaves were just starting to change. He was sitting at the edge of a small clearing, taking a drink from his canteen when she approached. He felt her chakra before he saw her, as she made no attempt to hide it from him. He handed her the canteen and she took a long drink before screwing the lid back on. He looked away when she licked her lips in a manner that he felt for certain wasn't meant to look as alluring as it did._

_She took one step to the side, placing her one of her knee-high, high-heeled sandals on either side of his outstretched legs. He looked up at her again when she dropped the canteen at his side. She slowly lowered herself to straddle his knees. There was a smile on her face that plainly said, 'damn the consequences'. He swallowed hard and she giggled, taking his hands and laying them lightly on her thighs._

_He couldn't move. Even his dream-self contemplated how wrong this was._

_Her hands crept slowly up his arms to his shoulders. Her smile faded as she bit her lip in apprehension. He was still paralyzed: not able to speak, barely able to breathe._

_She nervously rolled her lip between her teeth as her fingers teased their way up his neck and to the edge of his mask. She pulled it down slowly, drinking in the sight of him with a sort of awed satisfaction. Her nervous half-smile morphed into a mischievous smirk. She brushed his hitai-ate up into his hair, while a hand on his chest gently forced him to lay back. He felt deliciously exposed and any reason that demanded restraint evaporated. He closed his eyes and pulled her up to straddle his hips._

_Something in the atmosphere changed. He felt something sharp at his left eye. He snapped his eyes back open to find the medic seated in her place. Time halted. Then a streak of pink and red and black tore the weight from atop him._

_Not far away he heard a brief struggle, a strangled cry, and then that sound. The one that sounded like the entire world was coming apart._

_She returned, covered in blood. Hovering over him, she began to speak. "Kakashi?"_

"Kakashi… Kakashi!"

Awake again, he looked around. He was in a chair in a hospital room. Sakura sat up on the bed beside him with a pained expression marring her face.

"Kakashi, you're hurting me a little," she said softly, sounding more worried than hurt.

It finally registered to him what she was talking about when he noticed the death-grip that he had on her hand. He released her immediately. "I'm sorry… I just…" he stammered.

"I know," she whispered in a soothing tone. She swung her feet from under the blankets to sit on the edge of the bed. "It was just a dream, Kakashi." She held his hand on her lap, slowly tracing the lines of his palm. "Just a dream," she murmured. "Go back to sleep. You're exhausted."

His eye drooped fractionally and then shot back open. "Are you having bad dreams?"

She shook her head. "No. At first I thought maybe you were knocking me out with your Sharingain."

"I wouldn't do that without you knowing first."

"I know that," she assured him. "I've been sleeping surprisingly well. I almost feel guilty about that."

"Why?"

"Because you haven't been. Last night and again tonight."

"I haven't slept soundly since I was young," he said.

She didn't quite believe him. "Do you want me to get you something? We have a tea with a special root extract that promotes a deep, dreamless sleep."

"No. I don't want to feel like I can't wake if I need to."

"That's why it's only used in the hospital. It's safe to sleep soundly here."

"But what if you need me?"

She smiled at him. "We'll both have a cup. Tomorrow's going to be a big day for me."

"Is it?"

"I'm pretty sure that Tsunade is going to release me unless Hinata saw something."

"Oh."

"I'll be right back," she said, hopping down off the bed and padding barefoot out the door. He listened closely to the conversation that she was having with the nurse at the desk.

"I need two cups of Oolong Preparation N437K."

"One should be more than a plenty," the night nurse said, sounding slightly alarmed.

"One for me. One for Kakashi," she explained.

"He's not a patient," the nurse snipped.

"Then leave a note in his file that I authorized it."

"I don't think so."

"I'm more than willing to take the heat from Tsunade, if there is any."

"Well…"

"Do you want me in the pharmacy and kitchen like this?" Sakura said in a slightly threatening voice.

"I'll have it brought right in," the nurse said in a resigned tone.

"With honey," Sakura demanded. It was all that Kakashi could do to not laugh.

She appeared back in the room with a slight victorious smirk on her face, but climbed into bed without a word. A nurse with a tray was not far behind her.

"Drink it slowly. It takes about twenty minuets to kick in," Sakura explained when the nurse left. "Honey helps with the taste and doesn't affect how it works. I've had it a time or two, so I can warn you that I remember whatever I think about in the last five or ten minutes of being awake as a dream. I suggest meditating on something calming."

He nodded thoughtfully as she passed him the cup. Nonchalantly, he tugged down his mask and sipped his tea. She looked at him questioningly.

"You know what I look like underneath," he said simply. "You've known since you put those teeth back in after the fight with that Sound Ninja two years ago."

"But you still usually keep me from seeing when you're not a patient."

He shrugged and took another sip. She thought it best to not push the subject.

She finished her tea first and set it back on the tray. When Kakashi finished his, he pulled his mask back up and lay back in his chair. He reached out and closed his hand over hers, looking at her as if asking permission.

She understood that he wanted to be somewhat conscious of her condition, so she nodded groggily.


	5. Saturday - Admittance

After a peaceful nights rest, Kakashi felt refreshed. It was an unusual feeling for him. Mornings usually left a feeling of loss when he awoke from his torrid dreams to find himself alone yet again.

He willed his eyes open and looked toward Sakura. She was still sleeping. He'd supposed that she would be since she had drunk the same amount of the tea that he had. He gently released her hand and slipped across the hall to the bathroom.

Shizune caught him on his way back to Sakura's room. "Tsunade will be around later to sign her release papers. I'm supposed to take you to her office for some last minute instructions."

"At the tower?"

"No, just down the hall. I'll have a few words with Sakura while you're in with Tsunade."

"She's still sleeping."

"Yes, the night nurse said that Sakura had bullied her into giving you both a cup of N437K last night."

"Sakura's not going to be in trouble, is she?"

Shizune snickered. "Tsunade made it a point to remind the nurse that even though Sakura is a patient, she still outranks her. The nurse left Tsunade's office this morning with a very stern warning in the form of a week off without pay. Did it help you sleep?"

"I slept very well."

"Sakura will never tell you this herself," Shizune said softly, leaning toward Kakashi a bit as thought attempting to keep the conversation between just the two of them, "but she and I collaborated on that. There was a little boy who was horribly burned last year. His screams at night woke up half the hospital. She sat with him a couple nights, but it didn't help. We locked ourselves into the lab for three days developing that."

"It's still not the most useful thing that she's come up with."

"True," she agreed.

Kakashi smiled at Shizune from behind his mask as she knocked on the door to Tsunade's office. He knew that they couldn't be talking about the same concoction. Tsunade had sworn that he would be the only one beside herself to know that Sakura had created that one. Even Sakura was in the dark.

"Enter!" Tsunade shouted.

Kakashi stepped through the door and Shizune walked away from the office.

"Sit down," Tsunade insisted.

He lowered himself into the chair, watching Tsunade with a leery eye.

"Are you alright, Kakashi?"

"Yes."

"Are you sure?"

"I may have never seen anything like that, but it's nothing I can't handle."

"Good. Now the rest of this conversation does not leave this room. How is she, really?"

"She's coping surprisingly well. I believe she's been sleeping better than I have."

"I suppose that's a good thing. Shizune tells me that you went through something similar?"

He nodded. "When I first used the Chidori in an open fight the results came as a bit of a shock. But it wasn't nearly so bad, the effect wasn't so much of a… mess. It's both better and worse for her."

"What do you mean?"

"On one hand, when it was me there was a war going on. Carnage was a fact of life. It's not now, but she is a medic; she's more comfortable with blood than most people in her generation. That work in her favor. On the other hand, I'd been through a lot already. She hasn't. She's kind and caring and feels something for everyone who dies whether it's by her hand or by another's. That works against her."

"I just want a yes or no. Will she be alright?"

"So long as she doesn't think about it too much, she'll be fine."

"So I won't have to put her in a permanent position in hospital once I'm sure that her chakra is normal?"

"No. If anything, she'll be more suited to the field than she was before. I wouldn't call it a bloodlust, because it's not. It's just something she'll find herself more comfortable with than she thought possible."

"Or she could end up like I was."

"With all due respect, she's more logical than that."

"I'll take you word for that unless I see different. Shizune is delivering a change of clothes to Sakura now. As she told you yesterday, I am going to release Sakura into your care. Chances are that she won't be too happy about having to be supervised, but it's that or she stays in the hospital."

"Why is that?"

"Between you and I, my reason is three-fold. I want her under constant surveillance. I'm not saying that she isn't due any privacy. I just want her to have someone within earshot twenty-four/seven for a while so if something changes in her chakra flow, there's someone else there to note it. You're a good option for that. You're highly sensitive to the chakra of others and if something goes wrong and you don't notice, chances are that one of your dogs will.

"I don't want her using chakra," Tsunade continued. "It's only a temporary restriction, but if something should go wrong, I want her under someone's protection. I don't usually admit this, but she's more precious to me than an apprentice. If I had a daughter, I would want her to be like Sakura and I want her to be watched over."

"That's only two reasons."

Tsunade sighed, "I do not want her alone for hours at a time. I know what that can do to someone who's been through an ordeal. It's not good for someone who just went through that sort of trauma. As you said, she doesn't need to think about this too much. I don't entirely understand what's going on with you, but I won't deny that you seem to genuinely care about her."

"Of course I do."

"I trust that you'll keep her comfortable then. I don't know exactly what you've done so far, but you've been good for her. Keep her calm. I have a feeling that there was a certain amount of anger behind her attack. I don't want anything impeding her recovery."

"I'll do my best."

"That's what I wanted to hear. If anything comes up, anything at all, send for me right away. I don't care what time it is."

He nodded.

"Good. Now lets go so I can sign those papers."

It was just before noon when Shizune appeared at the foot of Sakura's bed with a change of clothes that looked remarkably unlike a hospital gown. Sakura leapt at the chance to be out of a hospital gown and quickly set about changing clothes. She was down to fastening her sandals when Tsunade came in.

"I'm still not sure what happened out there," Tsunade began. "We're working on it. Hinata and I talked about what she saw yesterday. She thinks that there's nothing wrong with your chakra network, but I won't have you taking any chances yet. You are not to summon any chakra until we figure this out unless it's and absolute emergency. You are also not to be left alone, Kakashi will be near you at all times, just in case there are any latent effects that we're not seeing yet."

"Kakashi?" she asked.

"Yes, I need Ino here while you're off and Hinata will be filling in for Ino at the desk. I'd have the girls trade off, but I want the same person to be with you around the clock, so that they'll be able to recognize any subtle changes. Kakashi is the next logical choice. He needs time off to recuperate too, so I might as well have him doing something useful."

"I don't have a place for a guest in my apartment," Sakura told her, grasping at straws.

"There's no need for that. You will be staying with him. Your things have already been collected."

"You can't be serious!"

Tsunade glared at Sakura. "I'm very serious. Unless you want to spend all of your time in a hospital bed, this is your only option."

"He's going to hate us both for this!"

"Sakura," Shizune cut in as she stepped back in the door, "It'll make him feel like he's doing something. Besides, he said that…"

Tsunade shot her a glare, effectively silencing her assistant.

"He said what?" Sakura demanded.

"I'll not have you getting worked up over nothing, Sakura." Tsunade said firmly. "He said that he didn't want to just sit around doing nothing."

"But keeping watch over me is doing nothing. To assign something like this to someone like him is almost an insult."

"I will not have you arguing! Are you going with him or are you changing back into a hospital gown?"

"I'm going… I'm going," she said quickly. The threat of having to give up normal clothes was enough to make any other option look good.

"Very well. Don't be too difficult." With those words, she signed the release forms and pointed Sakura toward the door.

Kakashi was waiting in the chair just outside of her room. They walked in silence out the front door.

"I'm sorry that you got stuck with me," she said softly once they got out onto the street.

"It's no problem, Sakura." he replied, in a surprisingly genuine voice.

She looked up to study what was visible of his face. Did he really not mind? Something seemed different about him. It took her quite a while to realize that he was not hiding behind his book. Come to think of it, she has not seen him with it since she came to in the hospital. She was trying to sort out a reason when he spoke again.

"You've got to be sick of hospital food and I'm sure that ramen wasn't much of a reprieve. Let's get something to eat before we go home," he insisted as they passed the barbecue restaurant.

"I don't have any money with me."

"And?" Kakashi asked, holding the door open.

"I guess I could pay you back later."

"No."

She looked at him questioningly.

"My treat," he insisted. He knew how atypical this was of him, not that anything he had done in the last few days could be regarded as typical. Still, he was not one to make such a friendly gesture, especially to a student. Of course, she hadn't been his student for years and the woman beside him barely resembled the girl that he had taught. He smiled beneath his mask as she walked past him into the building.

Once they left the restaurant, they continued on to Kakashi's house in relative silence. It didn't take them long to reach their destination, which lay near the edge of town.

It was quite obvious to Kakashi that Sakura had been expecting something different. He almost laughed.

She noted his amusement with embarrassment. "I'm sorry. I just never really expected you to have a yard or a little fence with a gate."

"I guess you've never been here before."

"No," she said as he opened the door to let her in. "Actually I'd always figured that you'd have a little apartment something like mine."

"I did for quite some time, but landlords tend to frown on dogs: especially in quantity."

"Of course."

"It's not much, but it is home. How about a tour?"

"Alright," she said eagerly, kicking off her sandals and sliding them under the bench in the small entryway.

He turned to his right. "Kitchen. If you can't find something that you want, ask. Door outside. Dining room. Door to basement – just some training stuff down there," he said methodically pointing at each in turn. She noted that his dining room was barely used. The rather large table looked nearly new except for in one corner where the finish was worn; she assumed that was where he sat to eat.

He led her past the living room, which was simple. There was a couch backing the wall that hid the basement stairs, and a low coffee table in front of it. A tall lamp was tucked into the corner and a mismatched chair sat in front of the window. Along the wall opposite the couch was a desk and a large shelving unit that housed all sorts of books. She was surprised that he owned books that were written by people other than Jiraiya, but at a quick glance his collection appeared to be eclectic. Aside from his collection of Icha Icha novels, there were books on all aspects of the shinobi lifestyle. She even noted several volumes on the healing arts.

The tour continued into his bedroom. She was a bit surprised by this, but said nothing. Again it was simple, the only furniture being the bed, a table beside the bed with a lamp, and a chest of drawers. At the foot of the bed there was a rug covering the wooden floor, which ran throughout the house. "Shizune put your things in the chest of drawers," he said before leading her across the hall to the bath. "And in here your things are in the lower left hand drawers of the vanity."

"I feel like I'm running you out of your own home."

"Nonsense. There wasn't even anything in any of those drawers," he said lightly, neglecting to mention that he purchased the chest of drawers from a used furniture dealer the day before.

She turned back to the hall, not quite believing him. He followed her, laying a hand on her shoulder. "Sakura, my home is yours for as long as you need … as long as you want."

She nodded.

"Good." He pointed at a small closet in the hall. "Extra towels and the like are in there. Now lets go introduce you to the dogs. I think you've seen them all at one time or another."

"I thought they were summons."

"They are, but even a summon needs a place that they can call home. I fill their dishes, but they come and go as they please. Most of them only show up once in a while, except Pakkun. He's pretty much been a permanent fixture since I raised him from a pup. They're all supposed to be here now though."

He opened the door to what she had taken for a second bedroom. The walls were covered in shelving containing all sorts of boxes and bins. The floor was covered in dogs. Some were lounging on their beds; others eating from a line of bowls under one of the windows. Only a large bulldog approached them. Kakashi began pointing the dogs out just as methodically as he had the rooms in his home. "Alright. You've worked with Pakkun a time or two. That's Shiba, Bisuke, Akino, Guruko, Uuhei, Urushi, and this big fella is Bull," he said, scratching the bulldog behind his ear.

"Hmph! 'Big fella,'" Bull grumbled.

"This is Sakura," he said, addressing the ninken. "She's going to be staying here for a while. I expect you all to play nice."

A series of spoken agreements and sharp barks came in response.

Kakashi turned back toward Sakura. "Everything else in there is work related. Scrolls, books, disguises, weapons. If you want to look around that's fine. Just… uh… stay out of the locked cabinet in the closet or at least be damn careful. Pretty much everything in there is… um…volatile."

"Volatile?"

"Yeah… uh… Explosives, poisons, that stuff you inven- … Shit!"

"The stuff that I what?" she demanded

"Damn it…" he muttered. "The stuff you invented."

"What stuff I invented?" she asked, looking confused.

"Nothing!"

"Kakashi," her voice held the edge of a warning.

"Let's not talk about it in here," he said gesturing to the dogs.

"Like they can't hear us out here?" she asked as she followed him to the living room. He sat on the couch and she perched on the edge of his chair.

"Spring Breeze," he said simply.

"It's dangerous!"

"I know. That's why they only give it to select ANBU."

"Then why do you have it?"

"You never really get out of ANBU. I'm just inactive."

"Oh. So are you going to tell me what you're doing with it?"

"That's… uh… not a good idea."

"Why not? You said I invented it."

"You don't remember making it?"

"Oh, I remember. It was no good."

"It's very good. Actually, it's my favorite thing in that cabinet."

"Why's that?"

"It's… interesting."

She sighed with exasperation.

"It's probably more classified than what happened to you Tuesday. And if Tsunade thought that what you did then would get you into the book, chances are inventing that would make you S-class. If anyone knew… lets just say it wouldn't be good."

"I think you're scaring me a bit."

"It's sort of scary stuff."

"It wasn't supposed to be," she said with a slightly defeated frown.

"What was it supposed to be?"

She gave a small calculating smile. "I'll tell you what I was trying for, if you tell me what I ended up making. Classified info for classified info."

He was too curious for his own good. "You drive a hard bargain. Let's hear it."

"It was supposed to be a sort of camouflage. The idea was that it would pull in the surrounding scents and neutralize the scent of the wearer. And it worked except for one detail that I just couldn't fix."

"Which was?"

"Chemical burns. Bad ones."

"Oh. That kink has been worked out," he said in an amused tone.

"How?" she demanded.

"Yugao is clumsy."

"I don't understand."

"She tripped over my pack. I had a bottle of it and a bottle of the oil I use to keep kunai from rusting. She broke both. Turns out, if you mix it half and half it doesn't burn and it still works. She got it on her foot. Even Pakkun couldn't find her, which turned out to be a problem, but I really can't go into that."

"After I tried every cream and oil base that we had in the lab…machine oil! Argh!" She drew in a calming breath and then another before speaking again, "Alright. So what can you tell me about?"

"If you inhale it before it's mixed with anything but air… well, I learned that one the hard way. There was this pretty little bottle of purple stuff on Tsunade's desk labeled 'Spring Breeze'. I thought it was a perfume, so I smelled it. It didn't smell like anything, so I put it back. Then she came in and started telling me that you made 'an awesome discovery,' and that we can't tell you. She held up the bottle and told me about it, but I didn't hear any of it. I was out like a light. About a day and a half later I woke up in the hospital."

"Were you alright?" she sounded very concerned.

"Just unconscious. Tsunade came in and the first thing she said was 'Amazing, isn't it?'"

Sakura stifled a laugh. "That's Tsunade for you."

"Yeah, I guess it is. I'm sure you can see the potential there. On one mission we pumped it in through the air vents of a large hall. It only takes about twenty minutes to get out of the air."

"So it's a sedative?"

"In that aspect: yes. I'm surprised that you didn't figure that out while working on it."

"The lab is very well ventilated. We mix new concoctions under fume hoods. What did you mean by 'in that aspect'?"

"If you mix half a liter of milk, a shot of shōchū, two cc's of lemon juice, and a drop of it, you get a very potent truth serum. By the way, Tsunade said she wasn't going to tell anyone but me who made it, not even Shizune, mostly because she thought you would be a little freaked out if Ibiki... well, I guess he once said he 'could just hug whoever invented it' after a few too many glasses of sake."

"I'd be more than a little freaked out," she laughed.

"Me too. Hm… Also, one part Spring Breeze to about fifteen parts water and it's a poison. The recipe varies slightly for sake, but it works in alcohol too. And I have heard that the fact that it leaves chemical burns has come in handy a time or two."

"Wow."

"Yeah. Everyone in ANBU who has used it loves it. It saves lugging a lot of different bottles. The only way it could be better is if it was clear, but that's never really been an issue."

"Given a few of the ingredients, I should have known that it was poisonous, but I can't believe she didn't tell me that it was actually good for something in the field."

"I didn't tell you either!" he warned.

"I realize that. I'm getting pretty good at this 'the less who know, the better' thing." She sighed, "Just when did my life get so complicated?"

He laughed. "I'm pretty sure that's part of the job."

"You're probably right."

* * *

The day wore on slowly, after the initial shock wore off. She hunted through his books, finding a couple that interested her, and the spent much of the rest of the day perched in his chair reading. To her surprise, she found herself feeling very much at home in Kakashi's house.

After dinner, which he insisted on preparing without her help, she took a long, hot shower and they turned in for the night.

* * *

Sakura sat on Kakashi's bed looking down at his still form lying on the floor.

The past few days were nothing less than confusing. She still didn't know exactly what had happened with the medic. She didn't know where all of that strength had come from when she flew into the fight with the thug. Kakashi had yet to talk to her about any of that. She'd not even been able to get answers from Pakkun, who was now curled up on the rug beside Kakashi's feet.

She was glad to see Kakashi resting. The nurse who'd checked on her Thursday morning had made it pretty apparent that he hadn't slept more than a few hours up until that point. The talk around the hospital was that he'd only left her room and under Tsunade's orders before she woken. Afterwards, he was still there nearly all of the time. And she had heard from more sources than Ino that even when he was ordered away, he stayed as close as he possibly could.

She was beginning to think that she didn't understand him at all. Even the conversation that they'd had before turning in for the night was confusing to an extent. She'd attempted to lay down to sleep on his couch. After he told her that he was supposed to keep a closer eye on her than that, she moved to lie down on the rug on his bedroom floor. He quickly shot down that idea. He didn't really argue, just pointed at the bed before he lay down on the rug and covered himself with a threadbare quilt. In a small way it was infuriating. She'd helped him out of a tight spot, and he was treating her like she was the one who needed protection. Maybe it was a little endearing, but mostly it was frustrating. This was not really the Kakashi that she knew, not that anyone really knew Kakashi. She didn't understand the change in him. There was a lot that she didn't understand right now.

Sleep wasn't going to come easily, she decided as she continued to study Kakashi. He wasn't really asleep. Neither was Pakkun, who was trying to burrow under the blankets at Kakashi's feet. She realized that the floor must be cold.

She swung her feet off of the bed and landed on the floor with a soft hiss. The floor was cold. She picked up the struggling pug and sat him on top of the blankets at the foot of the bed. He looked at her curiously, but said nothing.

"It's warmer up here," she whispered in explanation.

She climbed back into bed after the dog and then leaned down over the footboard to study man on the floor.

"Kakashi?"

He was on his feet in a flash. "What's wrong?" There was a slight edge of panic in his voice.

"Nothing."

"Are you sure? Because Tsunade said…"

She cut him off. "No. It's just that I knew you weren't asleep. And I suppose we'll have to talk about this sometime."

"Oh."

She patted the bed beside her and he looked at her questioningly.

"The floor's cold," she explained.

"I… I'm not sure that would be proper."

"Your bed is bigger than the tent that we used to sleep in on missions," she observed.

He chuckled but made no move.

A troubling thought came into her mind. It was voiced aloud before she could even decide if she should ask, "Kakashi, after what I did… You're not afraid of me… Are you?"

He gripped the cool metal of the footboard, as though her question had literally knocked him off balance. "What?! No! Of course not! How could you even think that?"

She was struggling with the hard realization of how everyone was treating her. Tsunade was keeping things as quiet as possible, but everyone who knew anything at all was giving her a wide berth, either avoiding her completely or avoiding the subject of how she had ended up in the hospital. Even most of the nurses, who she worked with on a daily basis, were treating her like she had an incurable plague. Kakashi was the only exception among the people she knew, with the way that he was barely letting her out of his sight. She hated feeling like a freak. "Everyone else is," she said quietly.

Kakashi stood perfectly still, trying to decipher what was going on in her mind when he noticed a tear sliding down her cheek. It moved him into action. He wouldn't let her feel like the world was against her. Pakkun stirred when he sat down on the bed, but Sakura didn't seem to notice until he drew her into his arms and reclined back against the headboard.

"Shh…" he whispered, smoothing her hair as she sobbed. "It's alright."

"I'm sorry," she mumbled, trying to compose herself a bit.

"What do you have to apologize for?"

"I'm acting like this and you're stuck with me. You shouldn't have to be."

"I asked to be," he admitted.

"You… what?"

"Tsunade was going to put you with Ino or Hinata, but I sort of insisted."

"Why?"

"Because… I… It's just what I felt that I needed to do," he whispered. "Why did you go after the medic?"

"He was going to kill you."

"No, he was just going to take the…Obito's eye."

"That would have killed you," she said softly, gently laying a hand on his chest.

"I'd have survived," he insisted, knowing that she wasn't talking about a physical death and that in the way she meant it would have killed him.

"Let me see it?" she asked, reaching up for his hitai-ate. He didn't answer her but he didn't stop her either. She pulled the headband up over his hair and laid it behind her on the bed. After a long moment she spoke again. "Didn't you tell them?" she asked, looking at his fresh scars.

"Of course I did."

"Couldn't they finish healing it?"

"I didn't want them to."

"Why not?"

"Because you did a good enough job."

"But it'll scar." She traced a finger down the long vertical scab. "Let me fix it," she insisted.

"No. No chakra."

"But she doesn't need to know. And you know that I won't hurt you. I worked on you after…"

He captured her hand in his. "Some scars are worth having, Sakura."

"Scars remind me of my failures," she said, holding up her free hand to show him where a kunai had sliced the web of her thumb.

"Every scar is something that you survived."

She snickered. "Ibiki must be immortal."

She had effectively lightened the mood and he laughed along with her. "Let's not tell him that. It'll go to his head."

Moments passed as she continued to stare at his closed left eye. The silence had turned slightly uncomfortable. "Tell me about it?" she asked softly.

He was slightly taken aback; this had not been what he expected to hear from her next. "About what?" he asked, to make sure they were on the same page.

"Tell me about your Sharingan."

"It's not mine. It was a gift."

"A gift?"

"It was Obito's."

"Tell me about him?"

"I have."

She shook her head. "You've mentioned him and Rin in stories over the last couple days, and I know their names are on the stone. But I don't _know_ them."

Kakashi heaved a heavy sigh. This was not a story that he told people. When he had written the report, he didn't tell nearly everything. Shizune had pulled much of it out of him on Friday, but very little that hadn't been recorded and he wouldn't have shared that if he hadn't needed to. Even when telling his sensei, he'd left much of it out.

If Sakura had asked a week ago, he would have brushed it off, revealing nothing of the story and himself in the process. But he couldn't deny her anything at this point and if she was going to understand the change that he knew had taken place in him over the last several days, this was as good a place as any to start. "Obito Uchiha. He was the black sheep of his family: noisy, forward. He had a sunny, energetic personality. He was a lot like Naruto. We were teammates. In retrospect he was like a brother; an annoying brother that I didn't really understand or respect. He loved the kunoichi of our team. Her name was Rin. She was a strong, bright medic and only the weakest of the team by default. She had a crush on me, but I wanted nothing of that. I just wanted to fight; to served Konoha; to prove myself."

"So it was like my team," Sakura mused.

"Much like yours, yes. I dare say that I had a better teacher though. Naruto's father, Minato Nazamaki, Konoha's Yellow Flash, who was well on his way to becoming the forth Hokage, was my sensei. I was promoted to jonin at thirteen. Konoha was in the middle of a war and we were sent on a mission almost immediately. 'Destroy the bridge,' they said. It wasn't so easy…"

He let the story almost pour from him. He found himself explaining everything: the lesson he'd learned from Obito, how he'd gotten the eye, the promise he'd made that he'd never told anyone about save Shizune, and how he'd broken that promise. The words came easily; details flowed forth like the half-truths never had. It was almost cleansing, hearing his own words aloud, even if they were spoken in a reverent whisper. He held her tightly as all of the details spilled from him, some that he'd never before revealed. He left nothing out.

Sakura listened intently, hanging on his every word. When he spoke of Rin's death, she spilt a few tears. He wiped them away with his thumb, knowing they'd be replaced with what he had to tell her next. "There's something that you deserve to know about Rin's death," Kakashi said hesitantly. "I didn't know it until Shizune told me on Friday. I don't know why she never told you, but if I had known you have to believe that I would have told you sooner. It's not actually a matter of record, but it's something she saw very real evidence to support. She wouldn't have told me if it weren't true."

He lifted her chin so that she was looking him. Her hand lay on his chest, serving to hold the two of them a few inches apart, as he gently cradled her in his arms.

"This, it isn't going to be easy to hear. I told you that Rin died trying to save someone on the battlefield?"

Sakura nodded slowly.

"The man she was trying to help… you should have had to the chance to know him. He… he was your father."

Sakura paused in shock for the shortest moment and then she bit her lip, as the tears went streaming down her face. She tried to turn away, not wanting him to see her cry again.

He held her still, so she had to look at him as he pleaded with her. "Can you forgive me, Sakura?" he asked in a strained voice

"For-forgive you?" she asked, looking up into his eyes, genuinely confused.

"I couldn't keep my promise to Obito. I couldn't protect her. If I could have, she might have been able to save him…"

"She tried. All I ever knew is that he was killed in that battle. I never knew if anyone even tried to help him, but she tried," Sakura said, sounding almost awed that someone had been brave enough to come to his assistance.

"But I failed."

She leaned up to place a kiss on his masked cheek and then rested her forehead against his temple, her tears soaking through the thin fabric of his mask and onto his skin. "You hold onto too much guilt, Kakashi. Even you can't fight fate. You have to know that. Let it go," she said softly.

He could hardly believe what he was hearing, let alone what he was feeling. There she was, in tears, fighting her own demons, and yet she was comforting him. It was unreal. "Sakura. I should have…"

"Let it go, Kakashi."

"Saku-…"

"I said let it go. Mother told me stories about him. He would have wanted a shinobi's death. It was a horrible battle. I'm sorry you lost Rin in the process. But I turned out alright without him being there… didn't I?"

He nodded, his eyes stinging a bit. There were no words as he held her. No words at all. She settled her head into a more comfortable position on his shoulder. Time passed, he wasn't sure how long it was until he found his voice again. "Sakura… what did happen Tuesday?" he asked cautiously. "What exactly did you do?"

"I… I don't really want to tell you," she admitted, pulling herself from his arms so that she was facing the foot of the bed with her back to him.

"Why not?"

"Because you'll think less of me."

"I'm not going to think any less of you. You're a terribly brave girl."

"I'm not a little girl anymore, Kakashi," she said indignantly.

The smile that crossed his face was one that he was thankful that she couldn't see. "Of course you're not."

The silence hung for a moment. "What I did… it was… cruel," Sakura managed. She took a deep breath, as if to steel her nerves. "I was making lots of little cuts under his skin with my chakra knife. He was trying to heal himself as I did it, but I was faster. I wanted him to bleed out slowly. I wanted it to hurt. I wanted him to know he was going to die. I wanted him to suffer. I tried to make a cut near his chakra source that should have cut off his power. He pushed back. I pushed harder. It was like setting off a paper bomb. He just… just… I'd never seen that much blood. You'd think as a medic I would have, but I'd never."

He reached out to touch her shoulder. "That's what I told Tsunade. For all of the battles I've been in, I've never seen a mess like that."

"He was strong," she whispered. "Stronger than Shizune."

"I know. He got the better of me." Kakashi paused and then asked, "Sakura, what were you thinking?"

"I don't know."

"You could have just waited until he left and then healed me."

"No," she said. He recognized her tone as the same indignant one that he'd used with the medics who had tried to heal him on Tuesday.

"You know it's not like you to not think things through."

"Yeah, well you've not exactly been yourself either." she retorted. "Everyone else who knows anything, along with most of the people who don't, are treating me like I'm some sort of freak. But you… you're being weird too."

"I know."

"But you're not going to tell me why, are you?"

"You've seen me come into the hospital enough to know."

She shook her head.

"How many times have I brought in someone who was half-dead while I've barely been scratched?"

"So?"

"So if there's someone out there I can't beat, I've always assumed that no one else, save maybe a kage, could either. Most people tend to think that of me."

"That's rather egotistical, don't you think?"

"Maybe. But until the other day, it had proven true. I'm shocked you could do it."

"Thanks," she said acidly.

"I didn't mean it like that! You really grew under Tsunade. I'd known that. I knew that there wasn't really anything I could teach you anymore. I just didn't know that you'd passed us both."

She blushed at his compliment. "Tsunade could have gotten you out of that mess."

"But it wouldn't have been as interesting," he said with a soft laugh.

"Does that mean that you're not mad at me?"

"I'm not mad at you. We're all a little unnecessarily cruel sometimes. It's part of what we are."

"Since you're not mad at me, does that mean I can be mad at you?"

"What did I do?"

"Ino said you refused treatment."

"Just until they had you fixed up."

"That was stupid."

"Not really. You were in much worse shape than I was. I only waited until you were healed."

"She told me that you did something else stupid. She called it 'playing hero' but she wouldn't tell me exactly what it was."

Kakashi panicked. He didn't want to hell her this part. "I... uh… I wouldn't take a bed. Shizune healed me in the hall."

"Oh, she told me that," Sakura assured him, with a fiery edge in her voice. "She said it was worse than that."

There was no avoiding it. "Well… You'd lost a lot of blood by the time that we got back. And we are the same type…"

"You didn't!" she turned to glare at him.

"All I did was sit outside your door with a needle in my arm and a bag on the floor."

"You idiot! You'd lost more blood than I did!"

"Not by the time that I got you back. You'd bled a lot from the senbon and were bleeding internally too."

"I saw the transfusion on my chart, but it was just a side note. How much did they have to give me?"

"Both units."

"You gave two? It's a wonder that you didn't hit the floor!"

"Ino set me back up in the chair," he said defensively.

"Argh!" Pakkun looked up at her, wider-eyed than usual.

"I couldn't just sit by and do nothing after what you'd done for me," he said, as if it explained everything.

"If you're going to say it like that," she allowed, "I guess we've both been crazy.'

"Yes. Now lets get some sleep. It's after one." He started to go back to the floor when she caught him by the wrist.

"Stay. The floor is cold and I don't want to be an inconvenience." She slid to her side of the bed and turned on her side to face away from him.

The floor was cold, and he wouldn't let her feel like she was a bother, so he obliged. He lay down on his back well on his own side of the bed and pulled the blankets that she had kicked to the foot of the bed up over them.

It didn't take long for sleep to find her, but Kakashi laid awake for quite a while, watching the rise and fall of her steady breathing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The floorplan of Kakashi's house... because I was left unsupervised with autocad one night  
> https://akanenyx.deviantart.com/art/Belongs-to-Her-Kakashi-s-House-Floorplan-607114441
> 
>  
> 
> Once again, feedback is always appreciated.


	6. Sunday - Confessions

Kakashi woke before dawn, feeling that something wasn't quite right. As a rule he was not a morning person and he never woke up easily when he wasn't on a mission. He'd not dreamt the night before, which he counted among his blessings, but he still knew something was amiss.

The first thing that he noticed was that he'd slept with his mask on. That was odd, especially since he remembered getting dressed for bed. He reached up and pulled it down around his neck.

With that issue taken care of, he realized that his right arm was numb and something was lying across him. That was really out of the ordinary, enough so that he forced himself to open his eyes.

As soon as his eyes slowly slid open, he wished that he'd kept them closed. His head was turned to the right and that left him nearly face to face with Sakura. She was sleeping peacefully with her head tucked into the crook of his shoulder and an arm across his upper abs.

Surprised, he drew in a sharp breath. He had full knowledge of the night before so, thankfully, he did not have to question himself as to how he had ended up in this position. Still, despite the innocent nature of the situation, he knew his options were limited. He could get up and risk waking her or he could lay still like nothing was wrong. Either way she'd probably be embarrassed when she woke. She'd asked him to sleep in the bed, so he didn't think that she would be angry or feel that he was taking advantage of her. He glanced at the clock. It was quarter 'til five. He wouldn't wake her this early, so he opted to at least pretend to sleep.

He lay there wide-awake with his eyes closed, thinking about the situation. She was warm against him and he could feel her move slightly with every breath that she drew in. She was soft, or as soft as a kunoichi could be, and she fit comfortably against him. He was in awe of the way it felt.

Though he knew how wrong it was, Kakashi found himself thinking about his love life. He could barely remember the last time he'd had been with a woman. Had it been a year? Two? And how long had it been since he had woken to one in his bed? He knew for certain that he'd never woken up like this: to find a beautiful woman, perfectly relaxed, curled up against him with a contented half-smile on her lips.

Everyone assumed that he had a very active love life or, at the very least, a very active sex life. Both assumptions were wrong. Most thought that women would flock to a strong shinobi like him, but that simply wasn't true. In his younger years he was shunned, mostly because of his father's so-called betrayal and the shocking resemblance between them. Later he was viewed as a freak because of Obito's gift. After that stigma wore off, everyone was intimidated by him and the stories of what he had done in battle. Now he might be strong, handsome, and a little mysterious, but most women saw him only as the pervert who wandered the streets of Konoha reading smut.

He knew he wasn't a bad man. Of course, the things that he did as a shinobi were viewed that way by some of the civilians, but all in all he was a good person. Icha Icha was his only real vice, and it served a much less perverse purpose than most knew. He enjoyed a drink with the guys once in a while, but he was far from being an alcoholic. He didn't gamble or smoke. He didn't seek the company of loose women. He considered himself a gentleman. He was intensely loyal, be it to his friends or a cause. He made it a point to be as honest as his profession would allow him to be.

Nonetheless, the only women who expressed an interest in him had less than honorable intentions. After all, it was no secret how well the sorts of missions that he took on paid. Most kunoichi in his generation had retired to raise a family, were jaded beyond repair, or were dead. Civilian women didn't understand the life he led. If he had been a lesser ninja maybe it would be different, but as it was if he were to be with someone they would have to have had at least a glimpse of the horrors that he had faced over the years. Thus, he had resigned himself to being alone. It had become so commonplace that it was almost comfortable. He didn't really feel like he was missing anything. It was safe. It was…

His mind was jerked back to reality as Sakura shifted in her sleep. His eyes shot open as her leg slipped across his calf and her head settled fully onto his chest. Though he tensed at the movement, he didn't find it unpleasant. In fact, there was something extremely calming about the feeling of her warm breath through his thin shirt.

He lay there, looking at his ceiling for some time, trying his hardest to not think. He didn't want to put any more thought into his status as a bachelor. He didn't want to think about the events of the last week and he most certainly didn't want to give his mind the slightest chance to get carried away while thinking about the woman who was holding him tightly. Even in her sleep she was unnaturally strong.

His body solved the problem of keeping his mind quiet by drifting back to sleep.

* * *

Sakura woke around half past nine that morning. It was a rare treat for her to get to sleep in so late. She nestled her head deeper into the pillow that she was hugging and squeezed it tighter. It made a gasping noise and moved beneath her.

Her eyes shot open in confusion. It was not a pillow that she hugged; it was a well-built man wrapped in a sung, navy muscle shirt. She put a hand on his chest and pushed herself up to be met face to face with Kakashi. His mask was not covering his face, but he looked rather at ease for being so exposed.

He gave her a gentle smile. "Good morning," he said softly.

She looked horrified, but made no effort to disentangle herself or remove her hand from his chest. "I'm sorry!" she squeaked.

She felt, rather than heard, his laugh. "Don't be."

"Don't be?" she asked, her expression shifting from embarrassment to confusion.

"No. Don't be. I was rather enjoying it until you squeezed all of the air from my lungs."

At that, she scrambled back to her own side of the bed. "You were awake before?" she demanded.

He simply nodded.

"How long?" she could feel herself blushing as she spoke.

He knew that there was no good that could come from lying to her. "Off and on since before dawn."

"And the whole time… I was…"

Again, he nodded.

Sakura groaned and rolled over, burying her face in a pillow. For a fleeting moment she hoped that it was actually possible to die of embarrassment.

Kakashi was bewildered and a little hurt. Slowly he reached out to touch her, not knowing if it was the right thing to do. He felt her tense when his rough hand found her shoulder. "Sakura… don't be embarrassed." She didn't respond, so he continued, "I was a little startled when I first woke up. But I'm flattered. Really, I am."

"Don't toy with me, Kakashi. I get it!"

"What?"

"You finally put two and two together. And it took you plenty long enough. And I get what you're saying, and really it's what I expected. Just don't taunt me like this," she said, pushing his hand from where it was lightly trailing down his arm.

"Two and two? What I'm saying? I don't understand." He heard the confused tone in his own voice and was immediately reminded of Naruto. Did his blonde student always feel as lost as he did now?

"Don't play stupid with me, Kakashi," she snapped. "I know 'flattered' is the start of an easy let-down."

"But I'm flattered that you're okay with letting your guard down around me. You've had a bad week. You're bound to want a little comfort. The first couple kills are hard. I'm just glad that you're not drowning it in alcohol like I did."

"I've killed before and more than just a couple times. You know that."

"But it doesn't get any easier."

"This time was very easy… Quit acting like you don't get it."

He was getting frustrated. "I really don't know what you're talking about."

She sighed. "Forget it then."

"No. Come on, Sakura. I know you."

"You know me?" she asked, almost cynically.

"I think so… I know that you didn't tell me everything last night."

"Would I have flown into that fight if I'd been thinking?"

"If you thought you could win."

"I didn't."

His confused expression turned into something softer, "You didn't?"

She shook her head, still not turning to look at him.

"So you'd have cost Konoha two shinobi instead of just turning one into a pencil pusher?"

"I didn't think that far."

"But you said…"

"I justified it after the fact."

"So Pakkun didn't see a weakness that you could exploit?"

"All he said was 'Boss is hurt'."

They lapsed into silence and he replaced his hand on her arm. After some time he whispered. "As grateful as I am, Sakura; that was foolish."

"I couldn't just stand by and do nothing," she replied, using his words from the night before in hopes that it would help him understand.

"But that's what you should have done until it was safe to heal me and get me back to the village."

"That's not what you taught us."

"I would have survived."

"It would have killed you. Either when you went into a battle you couldn't fight without the Sharingan or it would have killed you slowly. You're just as suited for a desk job as I am."

"So that's why you wanted him to suffer?"

"That's most of it," she admitted.

"For doing that to me?"

She gave an almost unperceivable nod.

His heart swelled when the realization came to him: She had moved to protect him without so much as a backward glance. He had taught her this. He pulled her backward into an embrace. She struggled against him for a moment, not in fear, but in surprise. Then she let herself go, trusting him in a way that he wasn't sure that he deserved.

"Thank you," he whispered. She could feel his warm breath against her ear. It sent chills down her spine. Without thinking he laid the lightest of kisses on her neck, just below her earlobe.

She shivered again and swallowed audibly and his actions caught up with him. It was the second time that this had happened. "I'm sorry," he whispered, slightly panicked by his own actions. He released her and retreated closer to his own side of the bed. He was disgusted with himself. She trusted him so explicitly and here he was unintentionally taking advantage of that.

She rolled to face him. Something shone in her eyes that he'd never seen before.

"Forgive me, Sakura," he pleaded.

"No," she said softly.

He heard the word but not the tone that she'd said it in. "That was terrible of me. I… I completely overstepped my boundaries. I shouldn't have… I really am sorry," he pleaded

She slid closer to him, running her fingers up his arm and across his shoulder until they finally tangled in his hair. "I'm not," she breathed.

He'd never seen her eyes sparkle like they did right before her lips met his. She kissed him softly, slowly. He couldn't even think straight enough to react. For all of the unwelcome fantasies that had come his way over the last few days, he had, in no way, pictured this.

Just as it registered in his mind to react, she pulled back. Her face flushed a deep red and she stood, leaving the bed. He watched her grab a change of clothes and quickly disappeared into the bathroom.

Suddenly his mind made a connection that he had not seen before. Had she come to his rescue so brilliantly because she felt something for him? The logical portion of his mind pushed that thought aside. It was crazy to think that she could see him that way.

Behind the bathroom door, Sakura gripped the edge of the counter, and stared at herself in the mirror. "It looks like your secrets is out now, doesn't it?" she whispered harshly, berating herself.

* * *

After she sprinted from the room, Kakashi pulled himself from the blankets and made the bed. In a slight daze, he dressed for the day. The only outward sign that this morning was different from the hundreds before it was that the mask that was attached to his shirt stayed draped around his neck.

His mind was still reeling as he stood and made his way to the kitchen. He was kicking himself. What had he been thinking? She was vulnerable and he was putting her in a terrible position.

He had barely thought of her in this light before Tuesday and then it had mostly been fueled by comments he'd heard at the bar. Of course, too many drinks while reading Icha Icha made his mind more willing to wander in that direction, but never before Tuesday had a pink-haired woman invaded his dreams.

For him, every woman was just out of his reach. But Sakura was untouchable. Except she wasn't: he'd seen more than enough evidence to that end in the last few days.

He told himself that was because he was at least trying to be understanding and supportive while everyone else was fighting to not treat her like a pariah or a so-far-unexplained phenomenon. He felt that had to be it and, once again, he explained away his feelings and her reactions. He just wanted to let her know that not everyone was against her. Anything else crazy running through his mind could be attributed to his gratefulness, his new sense of loyalty toward her, or Icha Icha withdrawal.

The teakettle whistled and he realized that Sakura still hadn't emerged from the bathroom. He edged toward the door, paused for a moment and then tapped on it softly. "Sakura?"

"Go away!"

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not. I'm sure you think it's hilarious."

"No. I was completely out of line. The last thing that I want is for you to feel uncomfortable around me."

"I'm not uncomfortable. I'm embarrassed. I feel like a fool!"

"That's entirely my fault. I'm really sorry. I don't know how I keep messing things up like this."

"What?" she asked in a new and slightly confused tone.

"I'm supposed to be helping you and keeping you out of harm's way while I'm watching for signs of there being something wrong. It seems like I've not done anything but upset you." He heaved a resigned sigh. "Come out and eat. Then we'll go talk to Tsunade."

The door opened slowly, revealing a red-eyed, tear-stained version of Sakura. "Why?"

"To see about finding someone for you to stay with who is better at this."

"Do you not want me here?" she asked in a very small voice.

"It's not that at all, Sakura. I've not done you any good. Maybe Ino… or Hinata…."

"No," she said, wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her still damp face in his chest.

"Sakura?" He was relieved that she seemed to have forgiven him so quickly, but ultimately confused by how quickly her mood had changed.

"I… It's just that… I've not had a single nightmare since it's happened. Not one! I've always had bad dreams about it… when someone, even someone terrible, had to die: Even if I'm not the one who had to do it. They go on for weeks." He softly stroked her hair, as she fought back sobs to continue. "I don't know how you're doing it. I don't even care if you don't tell me. Just… don't make me see that in my sleep. I'll wake up screaming. I know I will."

He pulled her into the living room, settling them onto the couch and pulling her tight against his side. "I'm not really doing anything. I'm just not letting you think about it more than you have to. It's what's always worked for me."

"You have them too?"

"I thought you found that out at the hospital."

"You never woke up like that on missions. I just thought it was what I did that made you have that dream."

"No. I've had them ever since Obito died. They got really bad after I used the Chidori in open battle the first time. That's why I read so much."

She laughed softly. "And here I've always thought that was because you were a pervert."

"I guess I let people think that. The truth is that those books are distracting. They let me dream… different things."

"You haven't been reading them lately."

"You noticed," he said with a slight frown.

"Why?"

"Well, it's not really… appropriate, given the circumstances."

"I don't really mind. You don't need to put yourself through that if you know of something that helps."

"I slept fine last night."

"I wonder why," she said absently.

"Maybe you being calm about things has calmed me," he said, taking the easy out. Deep within he knew that it was her proximity the night before and not her demeanor that had been the comfort.

The look that she gave him let him know that she wasn't entirely convinced.

"Come on, let's have breakfast."

"Okay, but I'll make lunch."

"I… Um… I really don't mind."

"Give me some credit, Kakashi," she snapped. "I have learned to cook in the last seven years."

"Really?" he asked doubtfully.

"I promise."

* * *

Upon Naruto's return to the village, he went looking for Sakura. It was tradition that when one of them returned from a mission they would find the other and get together for ramen, or sake if it had been a particularly trying mission. He wanted to make plans to go out immediately and by the way that the usually energetic ninja was dragging his feet they would be going to the bar instead of Ichiraku. He walked into he hospital with the intent of talking her into meeting him at the bar that night and then going back to his apartment for a hot shower and a long nap.

Hinata looked up from her paperwork as he approached the desk. They had become friends over the years as she had gotten past her crush on him and begun dating someone who's personality better complimented her own. "Naruto! You're back," she said with a concerned smile. "Do you need a medic?"

"No. It wasn't that sort of mission. I'm just looking for Sakura."

"Oh," Hinata said, looking down at her hands. "You weren't here, so you don't know."

"What happened?" he asked, alarmed.

"She's alright now," Hinata said quickly, realizing how tragic her previous comment had sounded. "I really don't know what happened, no one does, but she's staying with Kakashi until they're both fully recovered."

"Kakashi-sensei is hurt too? Aww… man! I'll talk to you later Hinata." He rushed from the hospital with a newfound burst of energy.

* * *

Back at Kakashi's, lunch had just ended. He was willing to admit that her cooking skills had vastly improved from her days as a genin. They had settled on to his sofa and quickly gotten wrapped up in their books. He was reading an account from the First Ninja War. She was devouring a book on non-chakra-based treatment methods.

He glanced at her, continually surprised at how at ease she was around him despite his innumerable mistakes. He admitted briefly to himself that he was even more shocked by how relaxed he was around her.

A knock came at his kitchen door followed Naruto yelling, "Kakashi-Sensei!"

Sakura let out an exasperated sigh, tilting her head back to look up at him. "He knows where you live?"

"Tsunade thought a good punishment for my tardiness would be to have him get me up one morning," he explained, tugging up his mask.

"Kakashi-Sensei!" Naruto yelled again.

"It's unlocked, Naruto!" Kakashi called.

Naruto kicked off his sandals and bounded through the house, talking all the while. "I stopped at the hospital to see if Sakura wanted to go out tonight like we always do and Hinata said something had happened and she was he-" he came to an abrupt halt as he entered the living room.

Kakashi was slightly taken aback by Naruto's surprise, but it only took him a moment to figure out the reason behind it as Naruto's eyes slid back and forth between him and Sakura. Kakashi was sitting up, leaning against the arm of the couch toward the front door with his feet on the coffee table. Sakura was reclined back with her feet on the other arm of the couch, her knees drawn up to support the hefty book that she was reading, and her head pillowed on Kakashi's lap. Looking at it from Naruto's perspective, Kakashi understood why he looked a bit disturbed. Sakura glanced backward over Kakashi to look at Naruto. He steeled himself for a reaction from one of his former students.

Sakura made no attempt to move, as she looked back to her book and calmly said, "Naruto, sit down and quit looking at me like that."

"But Sakura-chan, what are you doing?"

"I was reading," she said in a tone that ended the conversation, as she closed her book. It was all Kakashi could do to contain the laughter that was threatening to well up. A perplexed Naruto crossed the living room and unceremoniously flopped into the chair. "So how did your mission go?"

"It was… well, do you want to go out for sake tonight? Or maybe shōchū?"

"That bad?"

"Yeah. Are you okay? Hinata said you got hurt."

"We're alright now."

"And before now?"

Sakura looked up at Kakashi, but said nothing.

"Alright guys, what's going on here?" Naruto demanded.

Kakashi finally spoke, "We encountered someone in a fight that we were in on Tuesday morning that Tsunade is afraid could have affected her chakra flow. One thing sort of lead to another and she was in the hospital until yesterday around noon. She's staying with me until Tsunade gets things sorted out and until she's allowed to use her chakra again so I can keep an eye on things."

"Wow. Sakura, what happened?"

"I can't tell you," she said softly.

"Aww. Why not?"

"We weren't even allowed to file a report on it. It's that classified," Kakashi asserted.

Naruto let out a low whistle. "Well whatever you did, I bet it was cool!"

Kakashi felt Sakura give a slight shudder as she pulled herself into a sitting position. He was mildly alarmed at just how close she remained to him. "Actually," she said, barely above a whisper, "it was pretty scary."

Naruto stood and sat next to Sakura, draping an arm around her shoulders. "I'm sorry. How about you go out with me tonight. I'll take your mind off of it."

"Kakashi?" she asked, looking for permission or a way out, he wasn't sure which.

"Sure. It'll be good to get out."

Naruto looked a little crestfallen when he came to understand that Kakashi would be joining them, but he tried to hide it. "Great! I'll see you there around nine?"

"Sounds good."

"I'm going to go crash for a couple hours then," he said, patting Sakura on the shoulder. He stood and left, but not before throwing a very leery glare at Kakashi.

As soon as she heard the door shut, she made a disgruntled noise and slid back into her reclined position.

"We don't have to go if you don't want to," Kakashi said.

"No. It's just that I know Naruto and he likes to have me to himself after missions, especially rough ones. He's grouchy when that doesn't work out."

"Why's that?"

"I don't know. I think he figured out that he doesn't have to be so tough around me, so he can talk about what happened honestly. Or maybe it's because of what happened that one time last year and he's hoping for a repeat."

"Sakura?" Kakashi asked, trying to hide his amusement.

"I'd really rather not talk about it. It's a common mistake. Celebrate living through another mission; get a little wasted; wake up in the wrong bed. I'm sure you know how it is." She was blushing furiously.

Kakashi was beyond surprised by this revelation, but as she said it was common among shinobi and not really anything to be embarrassed about. "I think we've all done it. My first real ANBU mission: Her name was Shinju. She was engaged, but didn't mention that until the morning after." He paused, realizing what he just said. "I don't think I've ever told anyone that," he admitted and then chuckled.

She looked at him as if to ask what was so funny.

"I just can't picture it: you and Naruto."

"Sometimes I wish that I couldn't, but after that mission I don't exactly regret it."

His voice immediately took on an angry tone, "Tsunade sent you on one of those missions?"

"Do we have to talk about this?" she groaned.

"Yes," he insisted.

She sighed. "No. The mission didn't start out that way. And I didn't have to… well, you know, but I figured out pretty quickly that there was no way that I wanted to do that the first time with a target. Naruto and I were out celebrating the end of my mission, and we were both really, really drunk. It seemed like a good idea at the time."

"But it wasn't?"

"I felt so guilty."

"Because of Sasuke?"

"No. I'd gotten over him years ago. It was because Naruto is pretty much my best friend. I felt like I used him and…" she let the sentence drop a word too late.

"And?"

"It's sort of stupid. I had a crush on someone else at the time."

"Ah…" he said, feigning understanding. "Then why didn't you go to him instead?"

A brief look of amused horror crossed her face. "I thought it would pass and I didn't want things to be awkward around him afterwards. But like I said: I really, really don't want to talk about it."

"Okay. So what do you want to do?"

"I'd better go see if Shizune packed anything that I can go out in."

* * *

Fifteen minuets later, Sakura emerged from the bedroom. "She packed me pajamas and lounging clothes. Nothing else! Nothing to wear out, not even anything to train in."

"You're not supposed to be training."

"No, I'm not supposed to be using chakra. There's a difference. If I have to stay cooped up much longer, we'll both go crazy."

He laughed. "You yelled at me the last time I was your patient for saying something like that."

"I know my limits," she said simply. "You don't."

"How do you figure?"

"Don't you remember me having to haul you back to the hospital from the training grounds and pop your shoulder back in joint a second time?"

"Oh, that. I tried to forget about that. You didn't numb it the second time."

"It got the point across. You didn't train again until I said you could."

"I suppose," he allowed. "So, do you want to go to your apartment now?"

"You really don't have to go along."

"I'm not supposed to let you out of my sight."

"Well you're going to have to get over that! I was going to stop in at the hot spring while I was out."

He looked at her, as though he was going to point out that there was a large tub in his bathroom.

Sakura sighed and explained, "Shizune stops in there on her way home from work on Sundays when it's not so crowded. I want to talk to her."

"You're up to something," he accused.

"Yes."

"What?"

"She's my friend, Kakashi. You shouldn't have told me about Gai if you didn't expect me to do something about it. I won't have any problems in a public bath. Surely you could use an hour or so away from me."

"You're really not the bother that you think you are."

"Then use that hour to make sure Gai is at the bar tonight. Come on. Lets go."

* * *

They were almost to the hot spring when Sakura spotted Shizune. "Shizune!" she called, hurrying to catch her before she disappeared into the changing room. "Please tell Kakashi that I'll be fine by myself in there for a while."

Shizune laughed. "I'll keep an eye on her for a while," she assured him as she walked inside.

Sakura shot Kakashi a devious smile and turned to follow Shizune. He caught her by the wrist before she could get through the door. "Why?" he asked when she looked up at him in surprise.

"Because I could use a long soak in the hot-spring."

"No. Why are you interested in this thing of Shizune's?"

"She deserves to be happy, and I know her, she'll never make the first move on her own accord."

"Ah…" he said, finally releasing her wrist. "I see. She's like you."

"What? No."

"But what about the guy you mentioned this morning? You just made yourself get over him without taking the chance."

"I never said that I'd gotten over him."

"But you didn't tell him either. You would have said."

She blushed a bit, and then said, barely above a whisper, "I'll let him know, Kakashi. In my own time. In my own way."

Dozens of scenarios wormed their way into his mind and he couldn't help but ask, "What did you do?"

"We'll talk about it later," she said, sliding the door open. For the second time that day, she wished that it was possible to die of embarrassment.

"Just tell me, it can't be any more embarrassing than what you told me earlier today."

A slightly ironic smile spread across her face, as she stepped through the door. "I'll tell you later, just not here. Ask me after we get out of the bar tonight." She shut the door firmly and went to the lockers. A few minuets later she was lowering herself into the water near Shizune. "Men are so stupid! Even the supposedly smart ones!"

Shizune couldn't help but laugh. "Is Kakashi giving you problems?"

"No. He's just dense! I didn't mean for it to happen the way it did, if what I did Tuesday didn't make things apparent, nothings going to, right? And I made a complete fool out of myself this morning… twice… Argh!"

Shizune looked at Sakura questioningly.

"Don't you look at me like that, Shizune," Sakura warned. "It's not like you don't know what I'm going through here. Your harboring your own little secret that's just like mine."

"He said he'd probably tell you," she said through gritted teeth. "He was going to use the Sharingan on me."

"He wouldn't do that in public. But if it's any consolation, I understand why you didn't tell anyone. I mean, I didn't."

"It's been fairly obvious, at least for the last six months or so, what with the way you take care of him. I didn't think you had to say anything."

"Ha! Yeah. He cares that I'm alright, but it's no more than that. Naruto stopped by and insisted that we go out for a drink tonight. Of course Kakashi has to go. I ended up having to explain why I don't like drinking with Naruto to Kakashi."

"Oh… he made you tell him that? Suddenly I don't feel so bad."

"I could have died from embarrassment. Plus, with the way Kakashi is being so protective of me right now, and the way Naruto is usually such a flirt after a couple drinks, I'm a little worried about how the night will turn out."

Shizune nodded.

"Say you'll come along? I'm sure you could use a night out; I'll even buy your drinks. I'm not allowed to use chakra to separate the two of them if something goes wrong."

"I don't know."

"Please, Shizune? I'd hate to see what Tsunade would do if things get destroyed or if I have to use chakra."

Shizune could see her point. "Alright, what time?"

"Nine thirty. Thank you so much."

Shizune gave her a look that clearly said, 'You owe me.'

"So, how's Ino handling filling in for me?" Sakura asked, changing the subject.

"She's loosing her mind," Shizune chuckled. "Says she can't wait for you to get back. She had to give Genma a physical yesterday. Poor girl."

Sakura smiled knowingly. "Trust me, she didn't mind at all."

Shizune's eyes grew wide. "You don't mean…"

"Yep!" Sakura laughed.

* * *

Upon leaving Sakura with Shizune, Kakashi made a beeline for the memorial. He stood before the stone, one hand on the cool granite. "I'm sorry that I've been away so long. I know you were there when I told her, I think you all were. I know that you know that I told her everything, even the parts that I didn't know until a few days ago. Does it surprise you how things came full circle? No, I suppose you already knew. Is it wrong that everything that happened to you and Rin and Sensei is starting to slip into a different perspective? I'm still sorry that I couldn't protect her, but that she died under those circumstances; I still can't wrap my mind around it all. You've been with her for years, probably laughing at my apologies as you've watched it all play out. You're happy together now, aren't you?" He squatted down into a crouch before the stone. "I don't know what's become of me. She needs me; she's never said it but I know she does. I almost understand what she's going through. If it were you, I'd probably have just taken you out for a drink and given you a sloppy apology before the end of the night. But look at me now: she's living with me and I'm making a fool of myself. I'm doing what I can to comfort her, but it's not going right. She's going to hate me until this is all said and done." He drew in a deep breath and let it out again. "She scares me a little bit, Obito. It's not that she's doing anything wrong. She makes me a little bit afraid of me. I don't know how to react to her. I don't know what to think. I don't know what I'm supposed to feel. I don't know anything anymore." Kakashi stood, patting the top of the stone. "I'll be back, old friend."

He made it almost two hundred meters from the stone when Gai and Lee nearly collided with him as they made several mad laps around the village.

"You really should be more careful, Rival."

"Gai. Just the man I was looking for. We have things to discuss."

"Things?"

"Things like alcohol, and how you should be at the bar tonight around nine."

"I really cannot do that. I must help Lee prepare for his next mission."

Kakashi frowned beneath his mask, knowing this would not be the easy task that he thought he set out on.

* * *

Forty-five minutes of idle conversation later, Sakura pulled herself from the steamy water. After dressing, she walked outside to find Kakashi sitting on a bench across the street. Upon seeing her, he stood and walked toward her.

"I told you that I'd be alright," she assured him. "I didn't nearly drown or anything."

"I hadn't considered that possibility," he said in a tone that implied that he'd be worrying about it next time.

"Lighten up, Kakashi. Did you do your dirty work while I was in there?"

"I ended up having to challenge him to an arm-wrestling match. I hope you're happy," he said with a frown.

She laughed. "I hope you named your terms in advance."

"Of course. Three out of five. Shots. No chakra. No rematches. If I loose I have to tell him the biggest secret that I know. If I win, I get to name his method of atonement."

"Oh, that's priceless. So all you have to do is beat him."

"It really doesn't matter."

"Of course it does! He keeps score. And wouldn't it be more fun to force his hand?"

"You're a little devious."

"I know," she said with a sly smile. "If it gets too close, I'll throw the last one."

"How?"

"I'm sure I'll think of something," she said, holding up a hand, finger tips glowing with a soft blue light."

He grabbed her wrist, "Sakura…"

"It's fine. You know it's fine. We've been over this. I worked on you afterwards, on your head nonetheless, and you're alright. Tsunade is just being overly cautions. She had me summon chakra when Hinata checked me over. There's nothing wrong with me."

"Then why would she…?"

"I'm pretty sure she's afraid that I'll try to re-create it."

"She doesn't know you very well," he observed, laying a hand on her shoulder.

"Not this time."

* * *

A few hours later found Sakura sitting with Naruto in a little booth in the back corner of the bar. In the booth across the aisle sat Kakashi and Gai, a line of seven shot glasses between them.

She was watching the two men with interest as they each took a shot before their first match. Naruto, on the other hand was watching her watching them. "Sakura, what's going on with them?" he finally asked.

She smiled, watching Kakashi easily take the first match and Gai take his liquid punishment. "Let's just call it another challenge in their rivalry."

"Eh… Okay."

"It's actually sort of funny – Kakashi initiated this one."

That peaked the blonde's interest. "Really? Why?"

"All he would tell me was 'consequences'."

"Whatever," Naruto huffed, turning back to his drink.

"So I take it that it was a bad mission?"

"Three weeks of surveillance in Mist this time of year."

"Ew. It's a wonder you're not sick."

"Why do you think my shōchū is in a hot toddy?"

She smiled apologetically. "I'd help you if I could, but I'm not allowed to use any chakra." She stole a glance at the adjacent table and saw from the empty glasses that they were tied at two wins each and in a deadlock. She grinned at Kakashi and then spoke to Naruto again, a bit louder this time, "You should ask Shizune to help you. She said that she'd be in when I talked to her at the hot spring today."

"Noooo!" wailed Gai from the adjacent table.

Sakura smirked victoriously. Naruto gave her a questioning look, but for once he had enough sense to not ask.

"Come on, Gai," Kakashi said, "I'll buy the next round."

"But I lost."

"That's alright. I have a feeling you'll need it."

"Why would you say that?"

"Because we haven't yet discussed the consequences of your loss." Kakashi paused at Sakura's table. "Can I get you two anything?"

"I'm pacing myself," she said.

"Aw, Sakura-chan, you've got to celebrate his victory! She wants a refill and I want another hot toddy," Naruto said.

Kakashi smirked.

"I'll help you carry the drinks," Sakura volunteered, as she stood to accompany Kakashi to the bar.

Once out of earshot of Gai and Naruto, Kakashi spoke. "That was a dirty little trick you pulled back there," he said, a little pride coloring his voice.

"You said no chakra. Besides, you thought it was funny. Shizune should be here any time now."

"Devious," he muttered in an approving tone.

"Don't challenge him until she shows up."

He nodded and the bartender showed up to take their order.

"I'm going to have to stop early if I'm going to maintain my three-drink limit tonight," she complained.

"Why only three?"

"Weren't you paying any attention earlier today when you were dragging embarrassing stories out of me?"

"Oh. You don't have to worry about that tonight. I'll make sure you wake up in the right bed in the morning." He nearly winced when he heard the double meaning in his words.

"Promise?" she asked, oblivious to his slip-up.

"Of course. Just have fun tonight. You don't have to worry about anything and you need to unwind after this week."

"Thanks Kakashi. Look! There's Shizune." She waved her friend over to the bar. "Order quick, Kakashi's buying this round."

Half of their order arrived and Shizune placed hers. "We'll get the rest of the drinks," Sakura said to Kakashi with a sly smile. "You'd better take the loser his before he comes looking for it."

Kakashi nodded and started toward his table.

"What's that about?"

"Gai just fell a point in the standings of their rivalry."

"Oh?" Shizune asked with a giggle.

"Arm wrestling. He's letting Kakashi decide how he atones for his loss."

Shizune's face fell. "He wouldn't…"

"No. He won't tell. If there's one thing that Kakashi can do, it's keep a secret."

"I'm not so sure about that."

"Trust me. He's not going to tell."

The rest of the order arrived and they made their way back to where Naruto was impatiently waiting. Kakashi watched them over Gai's shoulder and when Shizune was within earshot, he spoke. "Call this a test of your courage. For the past two months every time I see you in here you're ranting and raving about a certain woman's beauty and poise. You're going to ask her out for dinner: by this time next week. If you fail to do so, I'll see to it that you spend Sunday evening in the private company of Anko."

Sakura felt Shizune stiffen beside her as she watched the color drain from what she could see of Gai's face.

"But she'd never…" Gai began.

Kakashi cut him off. "If she turns you down, at least you'll know. I'm tired of your pining."

Shizune slid into the booth beside Naruto. He snatched his hot drink from her and cradled it in his hands. "He's got a cold coming on," Sakura explained. "Maybe you can take a look at him?"

Shizune completely ignored her comment. "Why didn't Kakashi tell me?" she asked softly.

"That Gai was interested in someone?"

She nodded.

"At least you know it's not Anko," Sakura said, trying to write the whole thing off.

"But that doesn't explain why he wouldn't tell me."

Sakura shrugged, sending a silencing glare in the direction of Naruto, who seemed about to begin asking lots of questions. "He keeps everyone's secrets."

"He told you mine."

"That's different,"

"How so?"

"I don't know. It just is," Sakura said. "He's told me a lot of secrets in the last week."

"Eh… Sakura-chan?" Naruto cut in. "What's going on?"

"Nothing, Naruto."

"Don't give me that. I saw you two on his couch this morning."

Shizune raised an eyebrow at Sakura.

"We were reading."

"You were cuddling," Naruto said accusingly.

"His chair is not comfortable with a book that size," as it had earlier that day, her tone ended the conversation, which then turned to Naruto's mission.

Sakura found a small degree of relief in the fact that Naruto seemed to be alright with sharing her attention for the evening. She knew that was probably because he hadn't had a rough mission, just an extremely boring one that had left him with the onset of a nasty cold. Shizune told him to stop by the hospital on Monday morning and she'd give him something for it. Both the women were having a hard time suppressing their amusement that Tsunade was sending the less-than-subtle ninja on surveillance missions.

After the guard shifts changed around eleven, the bar began to get crowded. When Gai started toward the bar to buy the next round Kakashi moved onto the bench beside Sakura. "We're going to free up that table for someone else," he explained.

Sakura nodded, knowing what he was up to. Across the table Naruto nodded, looking a little confused, and Shizune stared down at the table dejectedly.

"Maybe I should be going," Shizune said softly, sounding a bit hurt.

"Nonsense," Sakura insisted. "Gai's bringing you another drink. It would be rude to leave now."

Shizune sighed in defeat. Naruto shot Sakura a questioning glance, to which she only shook her head.

It didn't take Gai long to reappear with their orders and a falsely confident look on his face. Sakura recognized it as the build up to his question, but watched his expression slip slightly when he saw that he would be sharing a bench with Naruto and Shizune. He sat down carefully beside Shizune, almost as though he was afraid of her, and passed her the refill.

She stared down at the glass, slowly tracing the rim with her fingertip. In a very uncharacteristic display, Gai bit his lip, the nervousness showing through. "How… How's work, Shizune?" he asked softly.

Her eyes snapped up to meet his, before quickly returning to her glass. "It's alright, I suppose."

"Does Tsunade ever give you a day off?"

"Only when I ask for one," she said with a soft chuckle.

"Ask for one Friday?" he asked, barely above a whisper.

This time when she looked up her eyes locked with his. "Why?"

"So I can take you to dinner… I mean… If you wouldn't mind… If you would like…"

Shizune shot a slightly murderous glare at Kakashi who was too busy exchanging a victorious smile with Sakura to notice. "I'd like that," she said when she turned back to Gai.

His face lit up. "Really? I mean… How about I pick you up at seven?"

"Seven sounds good," she said with a smile.

Naruto nudged Sakura's foot with his under the table and gave her a wide grin and small nod to let her know that he finally understood what he had been watching unfold all evening.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost titled this chapter "awkwardness" but felt that didn't quite cover what was going on here.
> 
> As always, reviews are greatly appreciated.


	7. Monday - Epiphany

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I might sort of fail at writing inebriated people.

Around one a.m. Sakura stumbled out of the bar, leaving Shizune and Gai behind. Naruto had left not long after midnight, hoping that he would wake the next morning feeling better. Kakashi followed Sakura closely, amused by her intoxication.

She took notice to the expression on his face. "Is not funny," she insisted with a slight slur. "I has a thwee dwink limit for a weason."

"I see that," he said with a chuckle.

"I told you dat. But noooo. I had fibe. Fibe! You said it be otay, dat you not let me do anything 'tupid." Her expression turned a bit angry. "Hey! How come you alwight? You dwank more den me!" Sakura poked him hard in the middle of his chest, only to go tottering backwards with the force of her own jab.

He caught her before she hit the ground and scooped her up in his arms. She struggled against him for a few moments before giving in, crossing her arms across her chest, and allowing herself to be carried.

"I not weally dat dwunk, you know," she said indignantly.

"You've got no balance and you can't talk right," he observed.

"But I don't feel 'ick and I still can think stwaight," she paused for a moment, pressing a finger to her lips in thought. "I fix it! You has wittle bottle of Jade Dog in closet in cabinet wif lock, wight?"

"That's a poison!" he said quickly.

She giggled. "Not in milk! Shh! Don tell Tsunade."

He raised an eyebrow in question.

"I shows you! I be awl better in an hour." She rested quietly in his arms until they reached his house. He gently sat her down on the bench inside the door and helped her out of her shoes. "You gets Jade Dog and meet me in kitchen. Bwing two aspiwin too, I tink I gonna need dem." She stood up and then slowly stumbled to his kitchen.

He shook his head, trying to not laugh, and headed toward the storage room. He didn't question her knowledge and had no reason think she was suicidal, so he retrieved what she had requested from his cabinet.

When he reached the kitchen with the correct vial, she had a large array of things spread out over his counter. "'Poon of salt," she said, half talking to herself. Add one dwop of dat… um… You do it." She looked up at him imploringly, the spoon shaking slightly in her hand. He managed to not laugh as he complied. "Stir down in gas of milk… hmm… Need sake!"

Kakashi's visible eye widened. "I think you've had enough alcohol."

"Jade Dog.  _ Dog _ . Hair of the  _ dog _ . Must have sake or it not work. Can't believe Tsunade never figure it out." She giggled, "I'm bad!"

"You named it?" he asked, pouring her a shot.

"No Silly, I made it!" she declared proudly and then threw back her shot. "Didn't mean for it to be poison too. Oh wells." She swallowed the aspirin and then chased it all with the milk concoction. "Let's go ta couch. This woom mobes," she said very seriously, pushing her way past him.

This time he did laugh. She had called him 'silly,' which had to be the first time he'd ever heard that. He realized, somewhat belatedly, that he had never expected to see Sakura in this state. It simply didn't mesh with what was left of the image of the innocent girl that was Sakura in his mind. That image was rapidly fading, and not just because of her current stupor.

She was already sprawled out all over his couch when he entered the room carrying a cup of hot tea. He sat down in his chair and pulled it closer to her so he could set his feet on the coffee table. "Are you going to tell me?" he asked.

"Wat?"

"You said to ask you how you told your crush after we left the bar."

"You… you lets me get dwunk so I would tell you?"

"No."

"Den why?"

"You needed to relax."

"I could have welaxed witout the alcohol."

"I know, but you also could have metabolized it with chakra… So, are you going to tell me?"

"You'd've yelled at me for dat. I tells you later. 'ead's starting to 'urt."

"Why's that?"

"Doesn't get rid of 'angover. Just 'peeds everything up."

"Oh. That could be good on a mission," he said thoughtfully.

She made a non-committal noise and covered her eyes with her arm.

* * *

He watched her carefully for any signs that her concotion had acted as a poison for a little over half an hour before she finally stirred. She looked up at him with bloodshot eyes. "Better?" he asked.

"Mostly," she said in a groggy voice.

"So Jade Dog speeds up hangovers?" he asked with a hint of wonder in his voice.

She laughed. "Yes. That's what I made it for, but it seems I'm just one happy accident after another."

"Other than the poison?" he asked.

She nodded.

"Do I dare to ask?"

"It's explosive."

He coughed as his tea made it's way down the wrong pipe. "Excuse me?"

"I didn't stutter. Mix equal parts rice flour and sugar then add enough to form a thick paste. It doesn't take a lot. I've only used it once: worked it into cracks in the walls like putty and then set it off later with a fuse. Could've used a tag instead, but I didn't have one handy."

He looked at her dumbfounded. "Well I suppose that's why it's poisonous."

She nodded happily. "There's enough starch and sugar in your body naturally that it has a similar effect on a much smaller level. You can mix it in a lacquer-like base and use it to 'treat' senbon and kunai."

"Are there any other inventions of yours hanging out in my gear?"

"Hm… Well, now that you mention it, Shizune and I worked together to make those chakra-activated bandages. You know, the ones that you force chakra into and then lay over a wound to create a temporary seal."

He sighed and shook his head. "What else?"

"That's it, as far as I know. But as we figured out earlier, she doesn't tell me everything. And I've got a few things that I keep for myself… I'm going to bed."

"That's a good idea."

She walked off toward the bedroom. Kakashi was surprised that she was not stumbling at all. He gave her a couple minutes' head start then went in to go to sleep himself. She was already in bed, curled onto her side when he entered the room. He found himself smiling softly at her as he lowered himself onto the rug.

He lay there, staring at the ceiling. He didn't want to be on the floor after the way he'd woken up the morning before. A part of him was hoping she would insist on not being a bother again, but he knew the embarrassment she had felt because of what had happened after she woke was too much to allow her to make such a gracious gesture again.

Kakashi was almost asleep floor when she spoke. "I saved his life." It was soft, almost a whisper. For a moment he questioned whether it had been the beginning of a dream.

"What?" he asked sleepily.

"The man. I suppose that's how I let him know. I didn't mean for it to happen that way, but it did," she said it almost as though she didn't believe it.

"I take it that he didn't feel the same," Kakashi observed.

"I – I don't think he got it, even though I had no other reason to be there," she said with a cynical undertone to her voice. "Goodnight, Kakashi."

He was no long sleepy, so he lay there listening to her breathing. Pakkun wandered into the room as he was considering her rescue of him. How could anyone not be moved by such an action from her? The raw power of her was alluring, but that she could remain so feminine, even in the heat of such a fight was enough to turn any man's head. "He must be completely dense," Kakashi thought aloud.

"Yes, you are," agreed Pakkun.

Kakashi's eyes widened. The past six days came into a sharper focus. His mind reeled. He stood slowly, so as though not to disturb Sakura and slipped to his kitchen.

He quietly cleaned up the mess that she had left behind in her quest to wake up without a hangover. As he placed the sake back on it's shelf, another bottle came into view, the contents of which were much stronger. He felt it couldn't hurt, and pulled down the dusty bottle and a glass. He poured himself a drink and replaced the bottle.

He found himself sitting on his couch, slowly nursing the drink in his hands, not bothering to burn it off with chakra as he had at the bar, as though he would find answers in the alcohol. He was too shocked at the new revelation to even form complete questions in his mind, let alone find answers.

Nothing became any clearer except that he had been blind. Pakkun watched him from the hallway. He mused over how the dog was a bit too human. Eventually the pug joined him on the couch. "You alright, boss?"

"I'm… slow."

"Aye."

"And stupid."

"Right."

"And blind."

"Yes."

"And a fool."

"That depends on what you do next."

"I don't know that you're really helping my ego here. If it weren't for you I'd still be oblivious: Still be thinking that she was just seeking out comfort."

"She's like her teachers. She doesn't really need that kind of comfort any more," the pug observed.

Kakashi sat his half-empty drink on the coffee table as he continued to try to sort through the revelations of the past twenty-four hours. All of the little hints were there. They had been showing up all week. Maybe even before that if he wanted to be honest with himself. It soon became too much for his mind to cope with all at once, and he fell asleep on the couch.

* * *

Around four, the beginnings of a nightmare were cut short by the feeling of a blanket being spread over him. He managed to not stir as she covered him up and then retreated quietly down his basement stairs. Though his tour had not included his basement, it really hadn't needed to. There was nothing down there except a large punching bag, a few small targets, and some mats. 

Sakura pulled on the gloves that she had collected from her apartment the day before and went after the bag with a vengeance. She felt like such a fool. She couldn't keep her actions, let alone her emotions, in check and she was wearing thin. She took the easiest route she knew, overworking her body to quiet her mind. She hadn't really slept since he left the bedroom two hours ago.

* * *

When he heard her hit the bag, he silently slipped off the couch and positioned himself on the basement stairs. She was working it over with her back to him, attacking it like it was an enemy. Part of him briefly considered that this was the treatment that the second thug would have received, had she gotten her chance.

It was all becoming crystal clear to him. He had compared how he reacted to her rescuing him to Rin's reaction to Obito. Yet, he had never guessed that her motives had been the same as his late friend's. He thought back on that night, and how it had been left to him to tell Rin how much their lost teammate had cared for her. If Sakura had been killed in her efforts to protect him, who would have told him? Would he even have believed them?

She was tiring; he could see that she hadn't slept. She turned on the bag, edging around it to land a kick, and he could see that her cheeks were stained with tears. Guilt crept in; he had been the cause of that. He wondered exactly what she was feeling, a thought he couldn't ever remember having about a woman. Was she angry or hurt? Did she feel foolish or rejected? And what did he feel?

He silently slipped back upstairs, grabbed a towel and a glass of water, and returned to his previous seat. She took a couple more swings at the bag and then walked to the corner and lowered herself on a pile of mats. She propped her head in her hands and grumbled under her breath. He gave her a couple moments before silently appearing before her.

Her head snapped up when he draped the towel around her shoulders. He handed her the glass without speaking.

She took a long drink, wiped the sweat from her face and arms, and then looked up at him. "You don't have to be so nice to me, you know."

He was taken aback by her remark. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She looked at him incredulously.

"I don't want to have this talk here."

"We really don't need to have it at all," she said.

"I think we'd better," he said, holding out a hand to help her up. "Let's go upstairs."

She gave a resigned sigh and allowed him to help her to her feet. "It's really not necessary, Kakashi. I understand."

"No. You don't."

She said nothing more as she allowed him to lead her up the stairs and pull her into the living room. She tucked herself in to the corner of the couch, pulled her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs.

"You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?" he asked slowly.

She shook her head.

"So you heard me talking with Pakkun?"

Sakura nodded.

He drew in a ragged breath. "I thought you were just having trouble coping with what you had done. Please believe me Sakura: I didn't know," he said softly.

"I didn't want you to know," she whispered. "I've done everything that I could think of to get past it, but you've not made it very easy this past week."

"What if you didn't need to work past it?" he asked. Something in his face betrayed his apprehensiveness.

"What are you saying?"

He closed his eyes and drew in a shaky breath. "Saturday night I told you about Obito and Rin, but I left something out. What I didn't tell you is that the moment you came flying into that clearing on Tuesday, I completely understood what Rin felt for Obito. I just never suspected that your reasons were the same as his had been. After all, what would a beautiful young woman like yourself see in a jaded old warhorse like me?"

He turned to face her, but didn't pause to take in her stunned expression as he continued. "I don't let anyone in, Sakura. Anyone who gets too close to me, well they don't live very long. I know it's my fault. I attract the very worst kinds of trouble. I've really not let anyone close since my sensei died."

"That's been all but twenty years."

"I know. Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of people that I care about. They're why I do what we do. It's in my nature to protect people. It's who I am and I won't be selfish enough to get close to someone who's just going to end up hurt because of it."

"Wh-Why are you telling me this?"

He gave her a soft smile and took one of her hands between his. "Because I'm beginning to see that I can let you in. You won't end up like the others did: Tuesday proved that, I think. It's been a very long time and this won't be easy. Be patient with me… please."

"You're serious…" Sakura said dumbfounded.

"For years I've seen you as a reliable comrade and a loyal friend. Maybe I should have looked further than that, but I never do. Even years ago, when I did try, I've never been good at this. Still, you've seen more of me in the last week than anyone has in years, maybe ever. It's too soon to offer more than that, but if you can be patient, I can try to let you in."

"That's why you've not been wearing your mask as much when it's just you and me?"

"It's a step…" he said with a shrug, "though not as hard of one as it would have been if you'd never seen me before. It didn't feel right to hide from you anymore." He paused for a long moment and then said, "Let's get some breakfast," in an attempt to avert the awkward silence that was setting in.

Kakashi stood to go to the kitchen, but Sakura caught him by the wrist. He looked down in surprise; only to find her looking back up at him, with unshed tears in her eyes. "Thank you, Kakashi," she said sincerely.

He pulled her to her feet and somewhat awkwardly wrapped her into a hug. He wanted to tell her that it was him that should be thanking her, but the words just wouldn't come, so he settled for stroking her hair for a moment and hoping that she would understand.

After a few long moments she pulled back from his embrace. "So, what's this about breakfast?"

He smiled as she gently disentangled herself from his arms and walked toward the kitchen. He found her with her head poked into his refrigerator. "Rice or fried eggs?" she asked.

"Eggs. Go have a seat. I'll cook, you're exhausted."

Sakura wanted to insist that she was perfectly capable of making breakfast, but she held herself back from it, opting to lower herself into what had become her seat during meals. She was actually very tired, and she appreciated that he wasn't being harsh about it as he would have been when she was his student. She also didn't want to put any more stress on them than there already was. Even though she wasn't exactly sure where they stood, she wasn't about to ask. The strained look on his face had made it clear how difficult it was going to be for him to completely open up to her, and she didn't want to risk him closing himself up again. Her mind wondered over their previous conversation as he finished preparing their breakfast.

It wasn't long until he joined her at the table. As usual, they ate in silence. Once the table was cleared, Kakashi spoke up. "Why don't you go lay down for a while?"

"It's the middle of the morning."

"But you didn't sleep last night."

"And you didn't sleep well."

"At least I got a couple hours. I'm going to go downstairs for a little, you're not the only one who hasn't trained in a week. I'll wake you up as soon as I go a few rounds with the bag and get a shower."

Sakura glared at him.

"I'm not trying to make you feel like you're weak, Sakura. I may not be a medic, but I do know a few things about chakra depletion and sleep deprivation."

She sighed. "You're right. Just don't let me sleep too long or I'll never get to sleep tonight."

"Alright. I promise that it won't be more than a couple hours."

"Can we go a couple rounds afterwards?"

"That's not the rest you're supposed to be getting."

"I need to get back in the swing of things, Kakashi."

"Why?"

"You know why."

He sighed, knowing fully what she was talking about. "We'll talk about it later."

She nodded and started toward the bedroom. He smiled as he watched her retreat, but the expression didn't quiet reach his eyes.

* * *

Kakashi descended the stairs quickly, pulling his shirt off as he went. He knew that logically he had nothing to be angry about: shinobi were tools of the village. He'd never had a problem with her fighting before, but it was different now. He felt responsible for her. If something happened to her after he decided to be open with her, it would be his fault. He hated to see her at risk.

Each strike to the bag calmed him fractionally. He fleetingly wondered how much his newfound closeness with Sakura would affect his judgment once he'd become accustomed to it.

He continued to work over the bag as his thoughts turned to how he could have missed the signs. He had trained for years to see the subtlest changes. He had preached to his students the importance of seeing underneath the underneath. Was he really so far removed from people? Had he written off other's ability to care for him to the extent that he'd been able to come up with an alternate explanation to everything, including her kiss? He knew the answers and he didn't like them.

* * *

Once he'd finished his workout, Kakashi went back upstairs. After stopping in the kitchen for a drink, he slipped silently into his bedroom for a change of clothes. He found her sleeping; curled up on her left side hugging his pillow. For a moment he considered climbing into bed with her, but her pushed that thought aside in favor of a hot shower and clean clothes.

He stood under the hot water and contemplated the events of the morning. He felt something was wrong with him. He'd been shut off from everyone for so long: what if he couldn't give her what she wanted.

That thought gave him pause. She had left him with little room to doubt that he was what she wanted, or at least what she thought that she wanted. But what about what he wanted. The idea of being open with her was equally appealing and terrifying. What he had told her was true: he hadn't been even this open with anyone in two decades, but it was because he was afraid to put someone he cared about at risk. He had told himself that the rewards could in no way outweigh the risk.

It surprised him that she had feelings for him. It was flattering. He supposed that she knew him as well as anyone living did, but he was aware that no one really knew him. There were a lot of things that he had done that might frighten or even repulse her. If he was going to be perfectly open, those things would eventually come out. His thoughts continued in a tight downward spiral as he anticipated her reactions to the darker moments of his life until the water finally ran cold.

Kakashi was aware of what he was doing. It was a coping mechanism of sorts. He'd spent so long convincing himself that he didn't need other people. He had known all along that he was lying to himself, just not how far the lie had gone.

Once he had toweled himself dry and dressed, he ventured back into his bedroom. She had not moved. This time the temptation to be in the place of the pillow got the better of him and with a few quick hand signs and a soft 'poof' the pillow landed on the floor where his feet had been and he found himself in her embrace.

Sakura woke up when her arms adjusted to accommodate Kakashi. She looked up at him quizzically.

He leaned down to kiss the top of her head. "I told you yesterday that I'd rather enjoyed this."

She allowed herself to nestle into his chest. "You say that like it's a novelty."

"It was.... It is."

She gave him a doubtful look.

"Seriously, Sakura. I've never woken up like that."

"Like what?"

"Like yesterday."

She looked confused.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" he asked, embarrassment showing through his frustration.

She nodded

He took a breath and reminded himself to be candid with her. "It's very much a rarity for me to end up in bed with a woman. It's probably been two years since I have. It's always been the product of alcohol and they don't normally stay until dawn, even if it's at their own place. The ones who have spent the night kept well to their own side of the bed... afterwards... I don't know why, though I suspect that on a deeper level they were a little afraid of me. So yes, to wake up fully clothed and without a hangover in the arms of a beautiful woman was new. Not to mention that I didn't feel the need to go fumbling for my clothes – or to leave the room completely."

She finally broke long pause. "It's just not quite what I expected. I was always left with the impression that you were… like a gentlemanly version of Genma."

"I'm not that what everyone thinks I am."

"I know. I just thought this was the one thing that they had right."

He tensed slightly. "Would you rather it was?"

"What would it matter?"

"If you were looking for a man with experience..."

"You don't get it, do you?"

He shook his head. "Breifly... At first... It crossed my mind that it might be this," he said, opening his left eye.

"I don't know what you're getting at."

"You wouldn't be the first who wanted to use me to fulfill fantasies of another Sharingan user. Not exactly many left," he said in a calm, almost sad voice.

Suddenly Sakura was seething. She sat up quickly. "That little bitch."

"Sakura?"

"You're talking about Ino, right?"

He knew better than to lie to her, so he nodded. “Most recently.”

Her eyes narrowed further and she started to stand only to be stopped when Kakashi grabbed her wrist. "Where are you going?"

"She and I had an understanding."

"And that was?"

"She said you had the same eye, and that would be close enough for one time. I couldn't convince her that your hearts were in two very different places. I told her that the two of you were nothing alike. How she could even think otherwise is beyond me." Kakashi's sigh of relief was cut short when she continued. "I told her to leave you alone. She thought I was kidding. You'd think the black eye and bloody lip would have clued her in."

Kakashi was glad that Sakura couldn't see the surprised look on his face. "I thought you two were friends."

"We are. That's why I healed her afterwards."

"That was… considerate of you," he said with a chuckle.

"I told her that if she laid a hand on you I wouldn't be as nice and I wouldn't heal her afterwards," the steely edge in her voice was apparent.

"She didn't."

"Didn't what?"

"Lay a hand on me."

"Really?"

"Do you really think so little of me?"

"She's a beautiful girl," Sakura said with a shrug.

"She is just a little girl," he said, his disgust showing through in his tone.

Beside him, Sakura stiffened. "It was only a few months ago and we're the same age. If she's too young…" She tried to stand to leave again, for a different reason.

He pulled back onto the bed against him. "Immature. I should have said immature. She's still a child, but you haven't been in years. Age is immaterial to shinobi, not that it really matters regardless of occupation."

Her next question came out cautiously, "It doesn't bother you that there are so many years between us?"

"Not at all," he said. "You're every bit as much and a adult as I am." He paused for a moment before asking. "Now, are you going to tell me why you're insisting on getting back to training so soon?"

She sighed. "I don't think that I have to explain that. Tsunade is not going to trust me to go back to work in the hospital until she has solid proof that I'm not going to hurt anyone. The easiest way to test my chakra is to put me out in the field. She'll probably send me to take care of someone who's either a medic or has excellent chakra control. She'll want to see if I can replicate what happened with the medic. I'm not going to try, of course. If that never happens again, it will be too soon."

"So you want to make sure that you can handle whoever she pits you against without doing anything too drastic?"

"Yes."

He slowly trailed his fingers up her back. "You know you don't have to worry about that so much, right?" he asked in a soft murmur.

"Why's that?"

"Because you can already take down nearly anyone that you come across and, besides that, I'll be there."

"You can't know that. You could be on a different mission."

"I won't be. Tsunade and I have a sort of understanding."

"An understanding?"

"I think she makes it a point to try to keep me happy. You could say that she's the closest thing that I've had to a confidant in years. Sometimes I think she worries about me. She knew my father."

"Oh."

"I know you've at least heard rumors about what happened to him."

"Yes. But…"

"I'll tell you that story in time, but not yet, Sakura."

She simply nodded in response. He was relieved that she didn't push him for details.

After a few more moments in her arms, Kakashi heaved a deep sigh. "We should get up."

"Why?"

"So you can sleep tonight."

"Are we going to train?"

"I think you've had about enough of that for one day."

"Let's go one round in the basement and see if you still think that."

Kakashi sighed and nodded. Once again he was finding that denying her things that he should wasn't a real possibility. "Alright. One round before lunch, but after that you're taking it easy for the rest of the day."

"Alright. Let's go."

* * *

They stood barefoot opposite each other on the mats that he had spread out on the floor. "Strictly taijutsu. Since you can't use chakra, I won't either," he insisted.

Sakura nodded and began to slowly circle around him. She began to round him the second time when he realized that she was not going to make the first move. They had trained together not long ago and he realized that this was yet another subtle change that her attack on the medic had left her with. Before she had been very foreword when they trained. He did not like seeing this difference in her.

"In a real fight this would be your downfall," he chided.

"This isn't a real fight," she shot back, squatting down and sweeping her leg to kick his ankles from underneath him.

He jumped her leg and pushed her shoulders to knock her off balance. She pulled him along with her as she fell back to the mat and then rolled him onto his back, sitting atop his stomach, pinning his arms to his sides with her knees. It was a position that he had found himself caught in before and he knew what was coming. She smiled at him and then aimed a punch at his head. He jerked his neck sharply to the left to narrowly avoid her fist.

He shook his head, "Always so rash," he commented, tightening his fingertips around her ankle and using the leverage to toss her to the mat beside him. In a flash he was back on his feet and on the offensive, aiming a kick at her side as she scrambled back to her feet. It was harder than it should have been to attack her but he pushed that thought from his mind as he regained his balance from the kick that Sakura narrowly dodged.

He realized that fighting him was not an easy prospect for her when he saw a familiar glint return to her eye as she flew at him with an unrestrained attack. He took pleasure in her attempt to put him on the defensive.

Their sparring went on for quite a while; both of them were unwilling to take the upper hand. Sakura was pulling her punches; she would not do something that could potentially injure him if she would not be allowed to heal him afterwards. Kakashi was passing on the small openings that she was intentionally giving him in an effort to make the fight even, a small gesture that he saw them as equals.

When he knew that they had both finally had enough, Kakashi raised a hand, calling for her to stop. Unable to completely halt the momentum of her current attack, she slowed her kick as much as possible, allowing her shin to gently settle against his waist and then side to the floor.

"What?" she asked impatiently.

"It's time for lunch," he said simply, wiping the sweat from his face with the bottom of his shirt. "We'll call it a draw?"

She rolled her eyes in defeat and turned to the stairs.

He studied her as he she walked away. They should have stretched first, he realized, as he watched the way she was carrying herself. He also noted that he might have turned her right ankle a bit too hard when he wrestled her to the ground after she had floored him because of the way she was favoring her left foot.

He slipped into the kitchen for a drink and she ducked into the bathroom for a quick shower. When she made her way back into the kitchen he noted that her stride was even again and gave her a disapproving look.

"Don't start. Do you want me to look at your wrist?" she asked, gesturing to the bag of ice that he held over it. She hadn't realized that the hit he had attempted to block had connected so hard.

"It will be fine. It's just a little sprain."

She shook her head, reaching across the table for his hand.

"Don't…" he warned, pulling back from her reach.

"Either I fix it now or I fix it while you sleep," she said in a slightly threatening voice. She gave a slight pause, laying her hand palm up on the table. "I'm not going to hurt you Kakashi. Trust me. Please."

He knew he'd been defeated yet again and he gingerly placed his hand in hers. Cool blue chakra trickled beneath his skin as she searched for damage. "Sprain hell, Kakashi," she snapped, looking up into his eyes. "Why didn't you tell me that I re-broke your hand?"

"Did you?" he asked, a bit too innocently for her to believe him.

"Yes, I did," she said with a bit of remorse in her voice. Gently, she pulled on his fingers to alleviate enough pressure for the bone to slide back in place. Her chakra returned, knitting the bone back together. He noted that she took more time that Shizune had even though the earlier break had been worse. Concentrating on the chakra that she was pumping into his hand, he realized that she was doing more than setting the bone and beginning the healing process, she was completely healing the break, leaving the bone as strong as it had been before he broke it the first time. Then she moved on to the other bones that Shizune had repaired earlier.

"Is this how she put you back together?" Sakura muttered under her breath as she released his hand, disdain showed in her voice. "Let me see your ankle," she demanded clinically.

"Our sparring did nothing to my ankle."

"Yes but your wrist wasn't healed as well as I'd have liked to seen. I want to know if she half-assed mending your ankle as well."

He knew arguing with her was pointless, so he turned sideways on the bench and put his foot up. She rounded the table and sat down, sliding his foot onto her lap. As her chakra-cooled fingers caressed his skin he heard a disgusted noise escape from her lips yet again. "If it wasn't for the fact that I'm not supposed to be doing this at all, I would report this kind of neglect to Tsunade," she snapped.

"I'm sure Shizune was drained by the time she got around to helping me."

"They couldn't have had every medic on shift working on me. Someone else could have finished this properly."

"I wasn't exactly… receptive at the time."

"I know," she said gently. She turned her attention back to his partially healed injuries, unwilling to leave any weakness.

He let himself enjoy the feeling. Though the initial examinations were usually comfortable, being healed wasn't always a pleasant experience. When a wound or a break healed naturally, it was accompanied by pain. It was no different when the healing was sped by chakra. Most medics could force the production of cells and the clotting of blood but few could dull the pain of the procedure. Sakura did not dull the pain; she completely eliminated it, leaving nothing but a cool, or warm depending on the application, almost tingling sensation. It was relaxing, nearly pleasurable.

After some long moments she looked back up at him. "And the ribs?"

"Tsunade handled them. They're fine."

She looked at him somewhat doubtingly but said, "Very good. Now what's this about lunch?"

* * *

Tsunade had begun to worry about Sakura when the first reply arrived early that morning. The deliveries that came later only compounded that feeling. By lunch she had decided on a course of action and she left the office at exactly five to carry it through.

It was not in Tsunade's nature to make house calls, after all her shinobi were due their privacy, but for some reason she felt the need to personally check in on Sakura. Perhaps it was a motherly instinct of sorts; she wanted to make sure that she hadn't made a mistake in entrusting Sakura to Kakashi.

Tsunade knew that she had no reason to mistrust the man, especially after the way he had stationed himself as a sentinel at Sakura's bedside. If the Hokage was being completely honest with herself, she would have admitted that she wanted to understand the new dynamic between Kakashi and her former apprentice. Perhaps, if she were being completely honest with herself, Shizune's declaration that he loved Sakura had set her a bit on edge.

News from Suna had provided her with a convenient excuse for the visit. She found herself pondering over the Kazekage's powers of perception as she reached Kakashi's gate.

Tsunade's eyes were drawn to the lit kitchen window. 'At least he's keeping her fed,' she mused as she passed through the gate and up the walk.

* * *

Inside, Sakura was washing vegetables for a stir-fry. Kakashi grinned behind her as he snuck up and looked curiously over her shoulder. She giggled, leaning back into his chest, reaching back to pull his arms around her waist.

Pakkun came into the room in a much quicker fashion than he usually did anything around the house. "Boss. The Lady is on the porch."

"Shit!" Kakashi cursed under his breath, stood Sakura up straight, and quickly jerked his mask up to cover his lower face.

"What lady?" Sakura asked.

She didn't get her answer as Kakashi started toward the door.

* * *

Tsunade heard her protégé's laugh from the porch. She supposed that answered the question as to whether or not Sakura had become more comfortable with the idea of staying with Kakashi. She raised her hand to knock, only to have the door pulled open.

"Lady Tsunade," he greeted her stiffly.

"Kakashi," she said with a nod.

"Is there something wrong?" he asked carefully.

"I received word from Suna today We wrote their hospital looking for information."

"I see. Come in." He opened to door, allowing her entry into his home.

Kakashi slipped into the kitchen as Tsunade removed her sandals. He laid a hand on the small of Sakura's back as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Tsunade has news."

She nodded, turned off the faucet, and followed Kakashi into the living room where Tsunade was waiting in Kakashi's chair. They both took a seat on the couch and Tsunade began immediately.

"We sent requests for information to hospitals in allied countries," Tsunade explained, handing Sakura a piece of paper. "As you can see, we kept it very vague."

Sakura nodded and Tsunade took that as her cue to continue. "The only helpful response that we got came from Suna." She explained, handing over a small scroll. "The gist of this is that it has happened before, though the damage was not to the extent that you caused. One of their medics had an arm blown off in a confrontation, but they survived. For obvious reasons, the file was sealed, but in an act of goodwill the hospital sent me what vague information they could.

"This morning, one of Gaara's personal hawks arrived. I believe you can imagine my alarm when a hawk in full battle dress carrying a doubly sealed and encoded message landed on my windowsill. Not at the aviary, at my window."

Kakashi nodded but Sakura looked a bit lost.

"Haven't you ever seen a war-hawk?" Tsunade asked.

Sakura shook her head.

"Kakashi, I've seen the picture that was taken during the last tournament for falconers. Do you still have a copy?"

"Yes. I liked that team."

"You'll have to show it to her later."

He nodded.

"This is a translation of the letter," Tsunade said, handing over a paper to Kakashi. He held it so that Sakura could read as he did.

_ We found evidence of three missing-nins skirting our borders. Rumors in our border towns say that they were hunting Kekkei Genkai. It was said that there was a medic among them who felt confident in his ability to graft stolen Kekkei Genkai into another shinobi.  _

_ Rumor has it that the three were part of something bigger and that there is an organization looking to recruit medics to do their bidding. We have found evidence of this organization within our borders, and in addition to the injured medic that the hospital wrote you about; we have had two turn up dead and one go missing completely within the past three months. _

_ I will open all the related files for your examination if you should choose to travel to Suna to review them.  _

_ After discussing things with Temari and Kankuro, he wants to know how Sakura is handling what she's done. I'm more interested in learning whether or not the copy-nin was able to retain his eye. _

Sakura gripped Kakashi's hand, which lay between them on the couch.

"How could he know this?" Kakashi demanded. "I thought that your ANBU got to the rogue in time."

"They did."

"Obviously not."

"He was found less than three kilometers from the site of your attack. He was in a catatonic stupor. It took two days to get him to come around enough that he could talk, and for hours the only thing he could say was 'blood'. He was clearly not cut out for the job. If he can live with the memory of what he saw Sakura do, he'll probably spend the rest of his life pushing a broom or tending a vegetable stand. Once we ascertain that he will not be a threat to himself or others, we will make other arrangements for him."

"Oh," he replied, curling his fingers around Sakura's hand protectively. He hated that Sakura was being further exposed to the repercussions of what she had done, even though he felt little remorse over the fate of the man who had tried to kill them while they were defenseless.

"You've got to realize that Gaara, Kankuro, and Temari have a very clear picture of what Sakura is capable of. Kankuro especially. I don't think I have to remind you how she saved his life or how she and Chiyo defeated Sasori. When someone saves your life, you gain a lot of insight. Right, Kakashi?" she said, throwing a meaningful glance at their joined hands.

"Yes ma'am. But…"

"Don't mistake me. I want answers too, perhaps even more than you do. I have sent word to Suna. They are expecting us around the middle of next week; I'll send a hawk back with confirmation tomorrow afternoon. Sakura, Hinata will be by in the morning to assess your chakra. If she gives you the go-ahead, you may resume training, but do not do anything reckless, and no chakra knife."

"When you say we…" Kakashi began.

"I mean myself, Sakura, and you. I haven't been to Suna since I became Hokage. It will be good for relations and I want to examine those files for myself. I could go alone, but I'm sure that Sakura wants to see it as well. And I know your position at this point."

"I'm more interested in talking to Kankuro and Gaara," Sakura insisted.

"You're not the only one," Kakashi assured her.

"I'm sure that the opportunity will present itself. Gaara is being more than a gracious host. We have been invited to stay with him. There are several guest rooms in his residence."

Sakura laughed. "Sounds like Temari's idea."

"Provided that Shikamaru has no trouble on the return from his current mission in Suna, we will be leaving as soon as I have his report."

Kakashi looked concerned. "Who will be watching over Konoha in your absence?"

"It would be you if I thought for a moment that I could get you to stay behind. But as things are, I'm sure that Shizune can keep things running smoothly for a few days. I'll have Naruto or Shikamaru help her out."

"Me?!"

Tsunade threw a furtive look at Sakura while ignoring Kakashi's protest completely. "Any other questions?"

Sakura looked up at Kakashi before turning back to Tsunade. "Would you like to stay for dinner?"

She laughed. "No, I should be going. Make sure you're both rested enough to travel on Monday," she said as she stood. "Oh, and Kakashi, warn the dogs about Hinata. We wouldn't want another incident."

"Yes ma'am. I'll do that right away."

"Very good. I will send a messenger to verify our departure time. Until then." She moved to slide her sandals back on and then turned to the door.

"Goodnight Lady Tsunade," Sakura called as she made her way back to the kitchen.

Kakashi retreated back the hall to his discuss Sakura's appointment with his ninken and to locate the box containing the artifacts from his mission at the falconer's tournament.

* * *

Tsunade made her way home thinking on what she had just seen. She now understood why Shizune had remarked that Kakashi loved Sakura. There was a definite protectiveness that nearly rolled off the man in her presence. The past week had left him a changed man. The Kakashi of a week ago wouldn't have allowed Sakura, or anyone else the physical contact of slipping her hand into his, and yet he reacted as though it was perfectly natural, if not expected.

She thought on Sakura's reactions and how she did not seem the confident woman that she had been a week ago. She had a slight aura of weakness about her that Tsunade hadn't expected to linger as long as it had; but it was even more confusing to see Kakashi playing the role of comforter.

As she entered her kitchen and poured herself a nightcap she contemplated how Shizune might have been more correct than she knew.

* * *

After having a very serious conversation with Bull and hunting through at least a dozen boxes, Kakashi emerged from his storeroom with a handful of leather and steel and a pair of wrinkled photographs.

He carefully spread out the hood, jesses, spurs, message container, and plated vest on the far end of the table before slipping into the kitchen to help Sakura finish the meal.

She silently studied the armor as they ate. There was something ingenious about it. The burnished metal plates on the leather chest protector had been beaten very thin, their shapes mimicking feathers. The spurs were mounted on the leg cuffs in such a way that the birds could use them to inflict damage, but wouldn't unintentionally injure their handlers. The hood was made of thin plate steel between two layers of leather with a sharp spike attached to the top. Nothing would hinder the bird's movement. It was made for minimum weight and maximum protection.

The small message container was a wonder unto itself. A tiny exploding tag was encased between two thin glass vials. The lid had a locking mechanism, which required chakra to be pulsed into it in a very specific pattern. Should the bird become injured and fall or should someone attempt to force open the lock, it would explode, destroying the message.

"I understand why it had Tsunade shook up," Sakura finally admitted.

"They don't just look fearsome. Many shinobi consider those birds to be the incarnation of war."

She looked up from her cup of tea. "Oh?"

"They are the epitome of everything that is expected of a shinobi in battle: stealthy, fearless, emotionless, and, if necessary, self-sacrificing. If you get a moment to look up, you can watch them fight each other in the air. They'll attack a man. They're vicious, going for the eyes. I once saw one try to tear a young shinobi's throat out with her beak."

She shuddered. He slid a pair of photographs across the table to her. She looked at them with interest. The first was of an ANBU in full gear less the cape, standing with both arms fully extended and a hawk perched on his left forearm guard. The shinobi's head hung down and it was apparent that he was wearing his issued mask, but it was easy to identify the man as Kakashi by the shock of silvery-white hair. In the second picture, Kakashi had maintained the same pose, the bird on his armguard had moved closer his shoulder and was joined by two more hawks who perched on his wrists. In the tall grass beneath each of those war-hawks knelt another ANBU. Both wore their capes and had masks reminiscent of birds of prey.

"When was this taken?"

"The last time that there was an international tournament held for falconers."

"They hold tournaments for falconers?"

"Not anymore," he said with a sly smile.

"I get the feeling that there is a story behind this."

"A wealthy man in Grass held the tournament every-other year. For a civilian he was rather taken with the birds. It was my first mission as a team leader. I was protecting two fresh ANBU who were displaying their talents."

"That's only half the story," Sakura guessed.

Kakashi shrugged. "The man who hosted the tournament was my mark. Espionage."

She turned back to the pictures. "You see the irony here, right."

"There's more than you know."

"I didn't know you had trained as a falconer."

"I didn't any more than the average ANBU. It was just part of my cover. They paired me up with a docile old bird from the village aviary."

"You said you liked this team?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because, to them I was never 'the copy-nin' or 'Sharingan Kakashi'. Compared to them I was a kid, but I outranked them and they followed me without hesitation. They didn't even count it against me that I'd never handled a bird in my life. They always called me 'The Scarecrow'. They thought it was a wonderful joke that I'd been paired by with a hawk named Karasu."

"What about theirs?"

"You know I can't tell you their names."

"Of course you can't. I meant their birds."

"Sora and Tsubasa: Respectable names for war-hawks. They had a beautiful bird that traveled with us a backup. She was a tiny little thing named Gin. Those three were vicious. I was surprised mine would eat raw meat."

Sakura almost laughed, but then her thoughts caught on something else that he'd said. "You don't like being called 'the copy-nin'?"

He shook his head.

"You don't want labeled for what Obito gave you," she guessed.

He nodded. "It takes something from him when people treat this as though it's really mine."

"You use it in his honor. That's extremely noble. I don't know anyone else who would deny themselves the glory that you have." She paused. "You never cease to amaze me, Kakashi."

He gave her a soft smile, but said nothing.

"Gaara's letter offended you then?" she asked.

"No. We've only met once or twice. He only really knows me by my reputation. I know to only be offended when the person knows my story."

"So it's rare that you're offended?"

"Usually only Tsunade," he agreed. "But I know she only introduces me that way so people make the connection. I'll clean up here, why don't you go ahead to bed. I'm going to put you through the paces tomorrow if Hinata okays it."

Sakura smiled. "I'm going to hold you to that."

Kakashi watched her walk back the hall. He was doing his best to hide his apprehension. It troubled him that Tsunade had found someone who was attacked by a method similar to that which ended the medic. Once he had rinsed the dishes and stacked them in the sink, he slipped into his storeroom to return the photos and armor to their bin. A box of books caught his eye and he mentally kicked himself for not thinking of them sooner as he sat down on the floor with them.

Even thought he had it memorized, he began with the Leaf's Bingo Book. Nothing stood out. Keeping with his belief that the enemy of his enemy was not necessarily his friend, he turned to the Bingo Book that he had lifted from a target in Cloud. Once he was sure that none of his attackers were in the pages, he turned to Rock's. After lingering over a few of his 'favorite' entries, namely one with a rough sketch of a swordsman with long dark hair, he laid it down as well. Next came Rain's. He was almost ready to give up, when an entry near the end caught his eye. The picture showed a muscle-bound chunin missing-nin. He was ranked as a low A-class criminal. "Shit!" he exclaimed upon recognition of one of Tuesday's thugs. He marked the page and, without a thought, went through the motions of summoning Pakkun.

"Why didn't you just call, I was just out on the couch," the pug complained.

"I'm sorry. Take this to Tsunade. I marked the page for her. Tell her it's one of the thugs."

"Right," Pakkun replied, picking up the book in his teeth and disappearing out the door.

Kakashi didn't bother looking through the rest of the Bingo Books. One glance at the clock explained the lack of focus that had caused him to almost miss identifying one of his attackers. He decided that he would look through the rest in the morning.

He silently slipped into his bedroom to retrieve a pair of sleeping pants and retreated to the bathroom to change. Upon his return, he found himself caught up in what was becoming a familiar inner battle. The sight of her nestled among his rumpled sheets set it off. It was so very wrong, but nothing had felt so right to him in years. He studied her in the moonlight for a few moments, scarcely breathing.

She rolled over; she hadn't been sleeping after all. "Come to bed, Kakashi," she said softly.

"Are you sure? I can sleep on the floor."

"Do you want to sleep down there?"

"I don't mind."

"You're ridiculous," she said, folding a corner of the blankets back.

He smiled. "I was afraid that maybe you'd still be embarrassed."

Sakura gave a little shrug and a smile that led Kakashi to believe that he didn't want to know what was going on in her mind.

He shook his head, walked over to the bed, and slipped in between the covers.

"See? Isn't that better than the cold, hard floor?"

Her question almost caught him off guard, as he was already thinking along those lines. A smile was his only answer as he tried to wrap his mind the concept of being able to wake up beside her again.

"Goodnight," she whispered, rolling onto her side and placing a hand on his bicep.

The weight of her hand on his arm was comforting, making him feel as though she wanted him there more than her words let him know. What he was feeling was so foreign to him that it took him a few moments to identify it.

It was peace.

 


	8. Tuesday - Training

Hinata's shift at the hospital began at seven, so by quarter 'til six she was standing on Kakashi's front steps. She was raising her hand to knock when Pakkun trotted up beside her.

"It's unlocked. Let's go in."

"Unlocked?"

Pakkun let out a gruff laugh as they slipped through the door. "Would you break in here?"

"Oh," Hinata said, slipping off her shoes.

"Yeah. Looks like they're still asleep. I'll take care of that." Pakkun walked to the bedroom door and pushed it open with his paw. Hinata could see the foot of the bed through the crack in the door and she watched as the dog jumped onto the bed and began digging at the blankets.

* * *

"The Hyuga girl is here," Pakkun announced.

Kakashi looked up at him and his eyes widened slightly. He gently shook Sakura awake. She stirred from her position, which was much like the one that she had woke up in on Sunday morning. "Good morning," she mumbled.

"Mmhmm," Kakashi replied.

"Well aren't you two cute," Pakkun muttered. "While Sakura's with Hinata you're supposed to go to Hokage Tower. The Lady was furious. Boss, I don't know what you gave her, but she kept ranting about how she should have seen it years ago."

"Oh, no. C'mon Sakura. Hinata's waiting."

Groggily, Sakura stood and walked through the bedroom door to greet Hinata.

Kakashi turned back to Pakkun. "You stay with her. Bring her to find me when she's done. Tell her to dress to train if she gets the go-ahead."

"Not a problem."

* * *

Sakura nodded a sleepy hello to Hinata and slipped into the bathroom.

Hinata sat by the door, somewhat nervous about being in Kakashi's home. Her uneasy feeling doubled when she heard Kakashi's feet hit the bedroom floor. She glanced around what she could see of his home from her current vantage point. Even if there was only one bed in the house, she could easily see a couch. That left them no real reason to share a bed, unless…

Hinata tried to will the blush from her cheeks and decided to not dwell on her assumptions as Sakura emerged from the bathroom in her oversized t-shirt and black shorts.

"Good morning, Hinata," she said sleepily. "I didn't know to expect you so early."

"I'm sorry, Sakura. I have to be at the hospital by seven."

"Then we should get started. What do you need me to do?"

* * *

Kakashi finished dressing and shooed Pakkun out into the living room with Sakura and Hinata. As he gathered his books, he thought on the entry of the swordsman that he had studied the night before. He would have to have a serious discussion with Tsunade after she finished berating him. He formed a few quick hand seals and found himself standing in front of Hokage Tower.

Kakashi knew that he was in trouble when the guard at the front desk winced upon seeing him.

"Is it that bad?"

The guard merely shrugged.

"Is she hung over?"

He nodded his head.

"Shit."

Kakashi was about to ask how bad it was going to be when Shizune came toward him. "Lady Tsunade has been here since dawn. She says she will see you  _ now _ ."

Kakashi hung his head as he walked into the Hokage's office.

"What is wrong with you?" she demanded, not even giving him a chance to get the whole way in the door before she began yelling. "Didn't it ever occur to you that the book would be an invaluable resource?"

"I assumed you had a set."

"I absolutely do not… Wait. Did you say set?"

He gave a sheepish grin and set the bag that he had been carrying onto a chair. "You've got the one from Rain. It's from before Akatsuki took over there, so it's probably pretty far outdated. Here are Rock's, Cloud's, Mist's, Grass's, Snow's, Waterfall's, Moon's, Star's, and an old one from before we were on such good terms with Suna," he said, methodically stacking them onto her desk.

Tsunade stared at him, wide eyed. "How did you acquire these?"

"They were removed from targets' personal effects."

"Why do you have these?"

"The enemy of my enemy isn't necessarily my friend. Of course the flipside of that is that handing over someone on the 'most wanted' list is a powerful gesture of allegiance when you're in deep cover. Before you ask; yes, that is a move I've had to resort to on a long-term mission… or two. Besides that, it's nice to know where I'm  _ wanted _ . You'd be surprised by the price that some of us have on our heads."

"I see." She thought for a moment and then relented, "I'll have them copied and returned to you. You're dismissed."

Kakashi didn't move toward the door. Instead he picked up the empty bag and lowered himself into the chair.. "Actually, I want to talk to you."

"Oh?"

"Lady Tsunade, with all due respect, I think you're holding Sakura back."

A twinge of her previous anger returned to her eyes. "Excuse me?"

"My sensei tried to do the same thing with me when I was young, but we were in the middle of a war and limiting me was never really an option. It's true that I wasn't very old when I made my debut in the Bingo Books, but Minato and I found a way to keep me deemed as a lesser threat than I really am and for the blame for some of the messier solo missions that I completed to stay away from the Leaf."

Tsunade was suddenly calm again and intrigued. "You've got my attention Hatake."

He took a breath, mentally preparing himself to trust her with something that no one had known about him except Minato. "I know you have a sealed file that was passed from the fourth to the third and then to you. The elders and ANBU's interrogation unit also have a copy of it. It contains a rather lengthy alpha-numeric password and express, unexplained instructions to release anyone who recites it."

"How do you know about that?"

"Because Minato created it for me."

Kakashi narrowly avoided smirking at the shocked look on Tsunade's face. "Yet another thing that everyone has neglected to mention to me. Let's hear the story."

"I refuse to give out all of the details. It wouldn't be prudent. It was mostly Minato's idea, but even he didn't want all of the details. He didn't even want to know when I used such… tactics, though he would assign me solo missions where it was an obvious option and left it to my discretion."

Tsunade grumbled under her breath, "Then tell me what you will."

"I am in Rock's Bingo Book three times: Once as myself, of course, and twice in disguise. I'm not talking about simple henges, I'm talking about full-blown alter-egos that I have used repeatedly. Both serve their own purpose and have appeared in nearly every country that I've been to. Neither of them has a single tie to Konoha, but I have been seen with both of them casually thanks to the use of a shadow clone, once at a bar and once at a festival, leaving no reason to believe that either might be me in disguise. I've associated with others from here casually as well, but never anything more than buying a drink for and swapping stories with the shinobi beside me at the bar. I think that's all that you really need to know."

"And you want her to… become someone else too?"

"You have to see the appeal. She'll have to keep her strength in check, just like I don't use the Chidori when I'm in guise. She knows enough genjutsu, which she rarely uses, to make up for that. If her alter-ego is also a medic, her chakra control will be expected, and you can pass the credit for Spring Breeze onto her, and anything else you haven't told her about. I would recommend giving her alter-ego credit for Jade Dog as well if it is not too late."

"Spring Breeze is the only one she doesn't know about. Why Jade Dog?"

"She knows now regardless," he said with a shrug, ignoring the question about Jade Dog. Tsunade's reaction to the other purposes of the poison was not something that he was prepared to deal with.

"You didn't!"

"It was slip-up, but she isn't a child Tsunade. She needs to know what she's capable of, speaking of which, you can always blame what she did Tuesday on her alter."

Tsunade strummed her fingers on her desk in thought. "A medic with near perfect chakra control and an affinity for genjutsu… not unheard of," she said, half talking to herself. She looked up at Kakashi, knowingly. "You've already got this worked out. You're not really giving me a choice."

He shrugged. "It really didn't occur to me until last night, but I'm set on this. If you weren't open to it, I'd have given her my password to use. I assumed that as her mentor that you might have some ideas."

"It was good of you to come to me first."

He was surprised at how calm she sounded. "You've done everything in your power to protect her: the lies, the threats, the bribes; don't think that I'm not aware. This is my way of doing the same thing. Consider this an opportunity for input."

Tsunade took a moment to consider what he was saying before she spoke. "She's too obvious. The pink hair has to go."

"Of course. I'd already planned that."

A sly smile spread across Tsunade's face. "She's a bit loud and violent. I suppose that's mostly my fault. She's definitely a woman, but a far cry from being a lady."

His smile wilted behind the mask, "What are you saying?"

"You make her a lady, and I'll make her S-Class."

Kakashi's features hardened at the word 'lady'. "Let me make myself clear," he said, his voice holding the edge of an unspoken threat. "She is no seductress, nor will she ever be."

"Of course not!" Tsunade agreed. "You have to know how I feel about the girl, Kakaski. I would not put her in that position unless she point-blank asked to be assigned that sort of a mission."

"I'm glad we're on the same page."

"I'm glad you're not judging me for playing favorites."

"I can't condemn you for doing something that I do myself."

There was a period of awkward silence. "This can't be a cheap process," Tsunade ventured.

"It's not exactly."

"How was your first… alter-ego outfitted?"

"The Fourth paid for most of my clothes off the books. Everything else I worked out. The man I became was a civilian, so it wasn't a big deal."

"I'm willing to foot the entire bill for this, under one condition."

"Which is?"

"I want to see the finished product."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea."

"Did Minato ever see you in guise?"

"No, but he helped me devise my first."

"Bring her by Saturday evening. I'll set her a code like yours. Make sure she comes from outside the village."

"It's not a good idea," he reiterated.

"Don't make me present this to you as an order."

"It will not do for her to be seen with me."

"Then don't come as  _ you _ ."

"That's really not a good idea."

"Why not?"

"I've made it a point to keep my alters away from Konoha even when they've done work in Fire."

"And you don't think that might look suspicious?"

"They aren't people that you would want anywhere near your village, Tsunade."

"I'm sure worse people have passed through the gates. Hell, your alter-egos can't be worse than some of the shinobi who have been born here."

"I wouldn't make those sort of assumptions."

"If you have an alter ego that rivals Orochimaru, I want full disclosure  _ right now _ ."

"Point taken."

She smiled as though she had just won a bet, "So, who should I tell Izumo and Kotetsu that I am expecting?"

Kakashi sighed. "Matsu Tsukino," he said softly.

Tsunade reached for Rock's bingo book and thumbed through the pages. "I take it this is your second?"

"Why would you say that?"

"Civilians prefer smaller weapons."

He gave a little shrug. "Yes, Matsu is my second. Sakura doesn't need the reputation that she would gain by being seen with my first. He is not of good character."

"How so?"

"I don't think you want the answer to that. Let it suffice to say that they would assume that she was a very crooked business associate, a gold digger, or a high priced whore. And given the way he's dealt with past gold diggers and business associates…"

"I see."

"As you can tell by Matsu's profile, my alters are not, strictly speaking, good men. And truthfully, what Rock knows of him is minimal. Sand knows more but they don't quite see him clearly. The other countries are lucky to have a name to put with the face."

"But you will let her be seen with him?"

"I don't really have a choice. Matsu was devised to be, at his essence, a good man who is willing to commit horrible acts. He has a personal code of honor, per say. He is not a soldier of fortune by any means."

"So he's not so different than most of my ANBU," she said, throwing him a meaningful look. "If this sketch is accurate, this is really quite a good henge." She held the book open so that she could see Kakashi and the drawing of Matsu at the same time.

"The sketch is not so good." He found himself smiling. "You don't remember," he observed softly.

"There's no association listed," Tsunade commented thoughtfully, missing his observation

"He holds none and neither will she. It's easier to be unaffiliated in case something needs done within an allied country or inside our own."

"Missing-nin. I see."

"Not missing: Completely unaffiliated. You know that missing is still an affiliation of sorts. He did not know his parents and for various reasons he claims no ties to the village he grew up in, and they none to him for that matter. I believe she'll be the daughter of a gypsy who traded in herbs. Like Matsu, she won't even have a true country of origin."

"It's almost too convenient."

"But not so much so that it's suspicious," Kakashi allowed. "Which is exactly the point."

"Of course. Now, how much will you need for this transformation?"

"I… I don't know what these sort of things cost for women," he admitted with a slight frown.

"What will she need?" Tsunade prompted.

"A week's worth of clothes to begin with. She'll have to add more as she travels to make it look like she lives a rather nomadic lifestyle and to account for different climate conditions. A pack and a carrying case for her poisons. Vials and such. Weapons."

"What do you have in mind there?" she asked, truly curious.

"Senbon and a tanto. Perhaps a fan."

"By Saturday evening?"

"As a kunoichi, they would have taught her about fans in the academy. She's spent some time learning senbon already, I believe because she always has a few with her and they make a good weapon of opportunity, and we both know that there's little difference between fighting with a tantō and hand to hand combat with a kunai. She's a fast learner."

"That she is." Tsunade reached into her desk drawer and pulled out a rather large stack of bills. "This should be a good start. If it should run out, come see me. Give her a little money for travel expenses and make sure she has something that is formal."

"Formal?"

"Yes. Formal. A dress or a kimono, I don't care which, but I want to see it."

"You want her to wear it in on Saturday?"

"No. Have her bring it in her pack. Just to quell my curiosity."

"Alright."

"I'll have your books returned to you as soon as they've been copied. Now get out of here before I decide that we're both crazy for plotting such a thing."

"Thank you, Tsunade."

"Don't you thank me just yet: If anything happens to her in that guise, anything at all, I'm going to blame you."

"That won't be necessary," he said as he threw one leg across the windowsill. "I'll blame myself." He swung the rest of the way out and dropped onto the street below.

* * *

Pakkun interrupted Sakura's silent celebration. "Come on, we have to go meet Kakashi."

"Oh?"

"Yes. He says you're to dress for training."

Sakura's eyes lit up at the word and she wasted no time getting dressed. In a matter of minutes, she was following Pakkun into town.

They found Kakashi at a small teashop with a small paper bag on the table beside him. She took a seat and Pakkun laid down between their feet.

"I ordered already, I hope that's alright."

"I'm sure it will be fine," she said with a smile.

"Everything work out like you thought it would?"

"Of course. What's in the bag?"

"It's for later."

"Can I see?"

"It's nothing that you haven't seen before."

"Okay."

Their meal arrived and they ate in silence. When they finished and the waitress cleared away everything but their cups of tea, Kakashi slid the bag across the table.

"Senbon?" she looked at him incredulously.

"Yes. It's what we're doing today."

"You can't be serious."

"I am."

"But why?"

"Because there are going to be situations where you can't carry a kunai," he said, hoping that his reason sounded viable.

"Name one."

"You're at the age where it would be perfectly plausible for Tsunade to send you somewhere undercover as a personal physician or a home nurse or a midwife. Anything in that range would be suited for your skill set and a senbon might be the only weapon that it would logical for you to have access to."

She sighed, defeated. "Alright."

"I know that you were taught to throw them, but did they ever discuss putting chakra into the throw?"

"No."

"Then we have a starting point."

"Starting point? You weren't kidding about putting me through the paces, were you?"

He smiled beneath the mask, "Not in the slightest. I want to talk to you about your genjutsu as well."

* * *

After finishing the last of their meal, they made their way to the training grounds outside of Konoha. "I know that I'm not your teacher anymore. I haven't been for years, but let me show you a few things that I should have back then."

Sakura debated for a few long moments. She did not want to become a student in his eyes again, but she did understand where he was coming from. This was yet another facet to his new protectiveness: making sure that she could protect herself in any situation. His request was met with a simple nod.

"Great," he said. The genuine smile that was hidden behind his mask was apparent in his voice. He handed her a single senbon and pointed to a target about ten meters from where they stood. "Let me see you throw one without chakra."

Sakura smiled cheekily and imbedded it in the very center of the target.

He stared at her with his single exposed eye wide.

"There's a difference between 'don't like' and 'can't'," she reminded him gently.

He pulled his hitai-ate up and looked at her with both eyes. "Let me see that again?"

She tried to not laugh as she threw another. It bit into the wood of the target at s slightly different angle, grazing the tip of the first senbon beneath the surface.

"There's not even a wobble in the flight," Kakashi complimented.

"Shizune is almost as much of a slave-driver as Tsunade," she said with a shrug.

"And she never talked to you about combining that sort of aim with chakra?"

"Only chakra coating treated ones for safe handling."

"But not to improve range?"

"She taught me to use a launcher. I'm not sure her chakra control is enough for that."

"Oh. Yours is better than mine too, you know."

"And probably Tsunade's, but I try to not think about that. After a certain level it doesn't really matter."

He smiled, appreciating that she could pat herself on the back while still remaining humble. It reminded Kakashi of himself. "Try it, just like you would with a shuriken or a kunai."

Sakura hesitated for a moment before releasing the senbon in the direction of the target. It went through the target. "Cool."

"Try for the other ones," he said holding out a few more senbon.

She did, hitting her mark on the targets at twenty-five and fifty meters. “I'm not sure why this never occurred to me.”

"I see that this isn't going to take nearly as long as I thought it would."

Sakura laughed, "Sorry."

Kakashi shook his head. "Never apologize for a being good at something. Now try for the targets at one hundred meters."

"That's twice the distance as before."

"Just humor me."

Slightly nervous, she let loose several senbon at once. They formed a tight group on the furthest target and Kakashi smiled with pride and reached out to ruffle her hair like he would have years ago.

She smiled up at him.

"Alright, lets get cleaned up and move on. Obviously there's nothing more that I can teach you about this."

Silently they collected the senbon. Kakashi mulled over how quickly she had caught on. The chakra control required to guide a senbon was far greater that the control need for kunai. He had expected to spend half the day trying to teach her something that he had seen done but never been able to do himself. Instead she had picked it up quickly and within an hour she was throwing as well as the medic-nin that he had first observed using senbon in that manner. He knew that she was a fast learner from Team Seven's first lessons with chakra control, but he was still taken aback by her progress.

Sakura walked over to him and dropped the last few senbon in the bag. "What now?"

"Genjutsu," he said, settling his back against one of the old oak trees that held the targets. "Hit me with your best shot."

"What?"

"I want to see what your capable of."

"But wouldn't that be sort of pointless? I mean; if you see it coming, genjutsu isn't much account."

"I'm not going to dispel it. I want to see how solid the illusion is."

"But…"

"I trust you to not do anything that could cause me permanent damage."

Sakura thought through her small arsenal of genjutsu. One stood out, but she felt hesitant to use it against him.

"Any time now."

"I don't know if I want to."

Her response caught him off guard. "Why not?"

"I know exactly what it does, and it's not pleasant."

"I'll be fine, Sakura. If I could endure Itachi's Tsukuyomi, I feel confident that I'll be able to handle whatever you have in mind."

She nodded and lowered herself to the ground several meters from him. Sitting cross-legged in the grass, she smoothed her skirt before she began to form a series of hand seals.

Kakashi was intently watching her signs. The pattern was surprising, yet familiar. He found himself slightly disappointed that her 'best shot' was such a low-class jutsu, but he braced himself for whatever illusions she was about to thrust him into with the Hell Viewing Technique

The vision didn't come with what he expected to be her final seal. Instead her hands moved into another and he immediately understood her reluctance to use this jutsu on him. He had been caught in it before, copied it with the Sharingan and later taught it to Kurenai. He regretted that now, not because he was about to be trapped by it again, but because to understand it as she did, Sakura would have had to experience it.

The wind that spun around him picked up dirt and small stones. They scratched at his skin and obscured his vision. He felt his mind turn against him and he knew when the dust cleared and he opened his eyes he would see his worst fears laid before him.

Kakashi had been expecting the same vision as he had seen the first time. He had braced himself to feel like the young child that he had been when he found his father's body all those years ago. He was braced for the terror of seeing his father in a pool of his own blood, followed by his mother wasting away, then Obito, then Rin, and finally Minato and the utter hopelessness of being completely alone.

He took a breath and eased his eyes open and surrendered to the jutsu.

_ He was surprised to see himself before the memorial stone. He felt tired, like he had just returned from a long mission, but when he took a step forward and knelt down, he found himself clad in long white robes. He extended his left hand toward Obito's name. He was not wearing his gloves, he noticed. The back of his hand was slightly wrinkled and a small glint of silver came from his third finger. He softly asked the customary question, "Are you taking care of them, Obito?" _

_ To his great surprise a reply came from his left, "Of course he is." _

_ His head snapped in the direction of the voice. Knelt beside him was a young girl with white hair hanging in a thick braid down her back. She couldn't have been more than seven years old and yet she sat in the same position as he did: her head bowed and her fingers outstretched, tracing a pair of names that were carved into the stone. He took his hand from Obito's name and placed it on her shoulder, leaning slightly to read the names that she traced. _

_ His breath caught in his throat as his eyes stung with tears. _

_ "I miss them too," the girl said, finally looking up at him with her big green eyes. "But Momma and Obi would hate to see you cry." She flung her arms around him, as though she had comforted him in this manner countless times. "So would Grandma Tsunade and Uncle Naruto." _

_ He studied the names over the little girl's shoulder as he openly wept. Anko, Gai, Genma, Shizune, Kotetsu, Kurenai and her daughter, Naruto, Ino, Chouji, Irukia, Lee, Kiba, and most devastatingly of all: Sakura and her son. _

_ "Please don't cry," the girl pleaded, but it only made the tears come faster. He scrunched his eyes shut as he felt himself start to shake. _

* * *

Sakura sat and watched as the jutsu overtook Kakashi. She hated doing this to him, especially since she had no control over what he'd see. She was surprised to see him calmly settle onto his knees and reach into the air as though he was touching something familiar. She thought perhaps that the jutsu had failed, but then his head had turned sharply to the left and the tears began to roll down his cheeks and soak his mask. She was momentarily too shocked to move. Once her wits returned to her, she quickly made her way to Kakashi's side and knelt before him to dispel the jutsu. As soon as she touched his shoulder, he wrapped his arms around her and continued to sob.

"Come on Kakashi. Open your eyes and you'll see it was all just an illusion."

He buried his head deeper into the crook of her neck.

"It wasn't real," she pleaded, giving him a light shake. "Whatever you saw wasn't real. Look at me."

* * *

Kakashi felt a change in the strength of the girl that was embracing him. He squeezed his eyes shut tighter, trying to staunch the flow of tears. Words that he couldn't quite comprehend brought him around. He slowly pulled back from the girl and opened his eyes. The same green eyes greeted him, but this time the familiar face that held them was framed by hair in a ridiculous shade of pink.

He gasped for breath as he pulled back from her and glanced down to study his clothes and hands. Finally satisfied, he looked back up at her to see traces of relief in her pleading eyes.

"Slow, deep breaths, Kakashi," she advised. "I don't know what you saw, but I am so sorry."

His breathing slowed fractionally. "I wasn't expecting that," he managed

"I'm sorry," she said softly as she settled back on her heels. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Kakashi shook his head fervently.

"Kurenai made me tell her. It was easier after that."

"No.” His tone was definitive.

She nodded. "I won't push the subject unless you start loosing sleep."

"I'll be alright," he insisted, taking a deep, calming breath.

"I hate that jutsu," she confided. "I've only been under it once. I took soldier pills just so I wouldn't need sleep. I didn't want to risk seeing it again. It's funny how you can fear things you've never consciously thought of."

He nodded and climbed to his feat, pulling her along up with him. "Let's spar," he suggested, needing the distraction.

"I won't use that on you again," she promised softly.

Kakashi tried to shrug it off. "Anything goes."

* * *

Four hours later, a tired, dirty, and slightly bruised Sakura caught Kakashi in Kurenai's signature Tree Bind genjutsu. It was a mistake that he never would have made had he not been distracted by the false memory of the little white haired girl.

"Nice," he complimented, gently prying the kunai away from his throat. "How much time did you spend with Kurenai?"

"Just a couple of weeks at Tsunade's behest. Mostly she demonstrated jutsus that I'd read about but not been able to perfect on my own."

He nodded thoughtfully. "It's getting rather late. Let's get home."

"I'll make dinner," she offered.

* * *

That night, Kakashi lay awake. It had been years since he had actually feared sleep. Many nights, especially over the last week, the prospect of turning himself over to dreams was unpleasant at best, but this was different. He rolled onto his side, removing Sakura's sleeping form from his field of vision as he opted to face the wall.

His Sharingan had recorded the finer details of the illusion and he forced himself to revisit it. The first thing that he noticed was the years below which Sakura's name was listed. She would have been thirty-six when her name was added. Three years of names came after hers. He was fifty-three in the vision. Over the monument and across the town, he could see the carvings of the Hokages. He saw his own masked face staring back at him from the place of the sixth. He quickly realized that the blonde, whose face was carved in the place of the seventh, had followed a bit too closely in his father's footsteps.

Turning his attention back to the names on the stone he was met with further insight.  _ Shizune Might, Ino Shuriani, Anko Morino _ . The very thought of the last one caused him to pause for a moment before moving on down the list.  _ Minato Uzamaki _ : Naruto had lost a son not long before his death.

Kakashi finally forced himself to look at the names that were partially obscured by the girl's hand. Sakura's surname was hidden behind the girl's slender fingers, but the silver band on his hand left little question in his mind what he would find there.

He wanted to speak with the child in his vision. She wore a chunin vest, he realized. Seven years old and already a chunin: she was her father's daughter. That thought caught him off guard, admitting that the girl beside him was his. He had made the connection the first time that he saw her, but he had purposefully avoided the thought. And Obi: They had named a son after Obito. They had lost a son.

Reliving those moments, he realized that he didn't feel the terror that he had the first time that he encountered the jutsu. Most would see this as a sad situation, yet not one to fear, and then it hit him that he was almost the only one left. He scanned the stone again for names of people he knew. Neither of the Nara men were listed. Of all the Hyugas only Neji and Hinata's names were absent. Ten-Ten was not listed and Shino seemed to be the only Aburame who had survived. Izumo and Radio weren't there, but that was it. Including himself, four from his generation were still alive. No, he corrected himself, four were not killed in the line of duty. Nine shinobi between those in his generation and Sakura's had avoided death in battle and if the last names listed were any indication, several of those surviving shinobi had lost children. Nearly all had been killed within a two-year span.

He suddenly understood the basis for his fears. Where had he been? How had he failed to protect so many? He didn't deserve the robes that he wore. He felt his breathing become more rapid as he grasped the meaning of his vision. It had been obscured by his rather volatile reaction to it when the jutsu had stripped him of control of his emotions. It was all clear now.

An arm slipped around his waist. "Easy, Kakashi," she whispered in his ear.

"I thought you were asleep."

"I was. You were shaking."

He hadn't realized that his reaction to the memory had been so strong. "I'm sorry."

"No. I am."

"You only did what I asked."

"But I should have used something different, even if it wasn't as good."

"It's alright," he said, still not turning to face her.

"I don't believe you," she said softly. "You trusted me enough to give me a glimpse into your life and I let a jutsu turn your past against you."

"I didn't see the past," he managed.

Sakura went silent for a long moment before she admitted in a whisper, "I didn't either." She didn't speak for another long moment and Kakashi began to believe that she would say no more on the subject when she began again. "Kurenai warned me that she was going to show me the jutsu. She told me exactly what it did and gave me time to prepare myself for it. Before she began, she warned me that I wouldn't see what I thought I would. She said that your subconscious doesn't even let you consider something like the jutsu would show you. She was right. I never expected…" Sakura shook her head, trying to rid herself of the memory.

Kakashi took her hand in his, but remained facing away from her. He wanted to ask what she'd seen, but he knew if she wanted him to know, she would tell him. The silence stretched on for several long minutes before words started pouring out of her. "When the dust settled, I was standing in the middle of a hospital ward. Everyone precious to me was there. Everyone precious to those precious to me and people who were essential to the village as well. Everyone was in beds. Everyone was dying. I couldn't do anything. Every time that I tried anything, I hurt the patient worse. Some of the ones that I tried to help died under my hands. I couldn't even keep everyone comfortable. The three dearest to me were still alive, still fighting whatever it was, still writhing in pain, when she dispelled the jutsu."

"I'm sorry.\"

"Why would you be sorry?"

"I'm the one who taught it to Kurenai. I copied it in a battle in southern Wind about ten years ago."

"If you knew what was coming, why didn't you stop it?"

"Because I wanted to see how good you were. Besides, I'd faced it before, I thought I knew what was coming."

"But you didn't?"

"It seem some things have changed in the last decade. At least I know I'm starting to put the past behind me."

Sakura rubbed her thumb across his knuckles, "It doesn't show you what's really going to happen."

"I know that. I just saw a very bad end to a series of possibilities that I'd never consciously considered."

"And it doesn't help that the jutsu strips you of control over your emotions," she offered. "Reacting in a way that usually wouldn't let yourself makes it all the more intense."

He nodded, grateful for her consideration of that point.

"If it weren't for that part, I'd say that it should be a part of every shinobi's annual physical."

Kakashi sputtered. "What?!" His eyes widened in shock as he turned to face her.

"Think about it. There's nothing wrong with knowing exactly what you're afraid of. After I saw what I did, I took serious steps to make sure that it would never happen that way."

"What do you mean?"

"I taught myself a few new tricks."

"Like what?" he asked, eager for the distraction but equally intrigued by the complex medical jutsus that she wielded so effortlessly.

"It's better if you don't know."

"Oh?" he asked, his voice compelling.

"There are forbidden medical jutsus too, Kakashi. Did you honestly think that I was the only one you trained to not embrace that route?"

Kakashi considered for a moment, "No, I suppose not. Who taught you?"

"I picked through some of Tsunade's scrolls and Gaara sent me a couple from Suna but we kept that between us."

"Chiyo's?"

"Among others." She verified.

"That is not a good idea."

"She knew a lot more that just the one that she used on Gaara."

A flashback of the genjutsu-induced vision grabbed him by surprise. "Promise me that you won't use that one."

"You know I can't do that, but I can almost guarantee that I'd live through it. After all, she used it twice."

"She did?"

Sakura nodded. "There was a lot going on, but I'm surprised that Tsunade never told you."

A feeling of dread washed over him, forcing him to ask a question that he knew he wouldn't like the answer to, "What happened?"

Sakura hated having to tell him this. It was something that was still not easy to talk about. She reached for his hand and still slid it under her shirt placing on the scar that marred her otherwise smooth stomach.

Kakashi stiffened slightly as she guided his hand beneath the fabric but the look on her face was one of resigned, embarrassed admittance. His fingertips found the thick scar and his eyes widened in reaction.

"Its mate is on my back," she said. "The blade was poisoned. I wasn't dead, but I was getting close."

"Sasori?" He already knew the answer.

"Yes."

"May I?" he asked, gesturing toward the light.

"If you must."

He nodded and reached for the bedside table with the hand that was not still tracing the scar on her abdomen. Light flooded across the bed, as she pulled the blanket down around her waist and pushed her shirt up to expose the long-healed injury.

"You could have died."

She rolled over, pulling her shorts up higher around her waist in the process, to show him the scar on her back from where the blade had run her through. "Without Chiyo, I would have died."

"It wasn't your time yet," he said with a soft smile.

"Nothing like that will happen to me again."

He sounded sad when he spoke, "With our lifestyle, you can't know that."

"It won't happen to me like that. I took steps to prevent that."

"Steps?"

Sakura shook her head. "It's not that I don't want you to know, but it's better if I don't tell you about some of that until I have to. A lot of it was highly experimental. If I had done it to anyone but myself I would have been stripped of my medic rank at the very least. I still could be if anyone found out."

"I won't ask then. Everyone like us has at least a few secrets like that."

"Thank you," she said sincerely as she rolled onto her back again. She was pleased that he considered her to be on his level. Truth be told, she knew that she probably was, just in a different sort of way. But for him to draw the conclusion without all of the facts was flattering.

He stretched to turn out the light, pulled the blanket up, and then settled onto his back beside her. She had thought he was sleeping when he asked, "Does it hurt?"

"Sometimes," she said, hating to admit the weakness.

"All deep wounds do. I know it's nothing compared to yours, but there's a spot in my eyebrow where the kunai that took my eye nicked my skull. I feel it every time it rains. It's going to tomorrow."

"I know," she assured him. "It's a bone thing." She sat up suddenly and pushed the blankets off of their legs.

"What are you doing?"

Sakura said nothing, just cupped his ankle between her hands and slowly pulsed warm chakra around his most recent injury.

"How did you? Never mind… Your hands hurt too… That does feel better." It felt too good for him to be able to argue.

"My hands aren't so bad. Tsunade made sure that they wouldn't be damaged permanently. Once she had them started, she assigned a newly promoted jonin medic to each hand. According to the charts one of them had to be treated for exhaustion. A medic without her hands is nothing. No, it's where Sasori's sword grazed my spine that lets me know about the weather."

"Your spine?"

"Yes."

"Damn lucky."

"I don't believe in luck."

He laughed despite himself as she gently put his foot back on the bed and covered them back up. "I don't either."

"As you said, it just wasn't my time," she said with a shrug, reaching for his wrist to give it the same treatment that she had his ankle .

"So you believe in fate, but not luck?"

"I think our days are numbered from the start."

He was surprised by this theory. "Will you elaborate for me?"

She smiled, "I believe that when you're born you only get so much time. It could be a couple hours; it could be eighty years. Everything else is irrelevant."

"How so?"

"Lets say a child is born and at the time of their birth, fate gives them thirty years. If that child later becomes a shinobi, perhaps they die in battle. If they become a farmer, perhaps their plow-horses trample them. Maybe their choices lead them to be a merchant and they contract a rare disease while traveling to sell their wares. We have the time that we have. Everything else is up to us. If you're able to kill someone in a fight, it was their time. If you spare someone who's time was up, fate will find another way."

He considered the idea for a while. "Interesting."

She shrugged. "All we can do is the best that we can for those precious to us in the time that we're given."

"I think I like that."

"When I first heard it, it was the only thing that had ever made sense to me. And it was something that I'd thought on a lot. Being a shinobi is hard, but it's even harder when you're a medic as well. It's hard to have to spend all your time saving lives and then turn around and start taking them. It was a blessing of it's own sort when I had a patient explain their belief to me."

"Patient?"

"One very banged up Neji Hyuga, about two years ago. He used to believe that everything was fated. I suppose that's something that Naruto fixed. He told me that I worried too much and that it wasn't his time. He said that he'd come to recognize that we make our own path, but in the end we all face our fate."

"It is a beautiful belief," he admitted. Kakashi had never been one to hold beliefs about things that he couldn't see or feel, but this he found comforting.

"I'm not sure if it's logical," she admitted. "But it is absolving and it makes some things easier. Since he told me that, I don't feel as guilty about what has to be done on missions or when I loose a patient. I also don't worry so much about what will happen to me on a mission as I used to. Who am I to fight fate?"

Kakashi gave a soft chuckle. "I think if anyone could, it would be you. You're just that stubborn."

She smiled and then yawned.

"Exactly," he agreed.

"What?"

"The yawn. We do need some sleep."

"Oh."

"Goodnight, Sakura."

"Goodnight, Kakashi."

"Thank you," he breathed. Yet again, she was making him feel, as she had said, absolved. And there was an edge of hope now, something that he hadn't felt in years.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize that the names that Kakashi sees on the stone in his vision are rather uninspired. This was intentional. I wanted the names that he saw to inflict as much pain and remorse as possible, seeing as that is the purpose of the jutsu. 
> 
> As always, feedback is appreciated it. :-)


	9. Wednesday - Maneuvers

He woke up that morning with her back curled into his side and her head resting on his bicep. He clenched his hand several times, a vain attempt to get the blood flowing again. She shifted against him, waking slowly. He watched with an odd sort of fascination as she stretched and then rolled to face him; mumbling, "Good morning," before slipping from between the sheets to collect her clothes for the day and go to the bathroom.

As they had predicted the night before, the rain came and it kept them inside for the morning. Immediately after breakfast, he ushered her down the steps and pulled a several items from his pockets, placing them on the open steps before tossing one in her direction.

She caught it reflexively. "What is this?"

"A fan," he said, in a tone that made it clear that he was stating the obvious.

"But why?"

"Didn't we go through this yesterday?"

"But there is no situation where I could carry a fan but not senbon."

"Senbon are no good as a defensive weapon."

"I've not even handled a fan since I was a Genin."

"It's just like riding a bike or climbing a tree. Once you do it once it never leaves you."

"You've used a fan?"

"Lets just say the mission was deep cover and leave it at that."

"You posed as a woman?" she asked with a giggle.

He sighed. "No. I was posing as servant, and therefore relatively unarmed. I picked it off an opponent in the middle of a fight, after I smacked her with my cane."

"You were posing as someone with a handicap?" she asked, wondering how someone as able as he was would have the ability to act a part.

"I should have said 'as an old servant'," he said with a deep frown. "I must have really made Tsunade mad."

Sakura knew better than to laugh. "Oh."

"Have you ever used a tanto?" he asked, effectively changing the subject.

"No."

"Then we'll work on that today too. It's not really so different from using a kunai in hand to hand combat, you just have to keep in mind that only one edge of the blade is sharp."

"Is there a reason that you're trying to flood my mind with new information?"

"No. I'm just looking to introduce you to some things that you might have to use later… weapons of opportunity," he explained casually.

"A couple years ago I finished a target with a boning knife in the middle of a busy fish market. How's that for weapon of opportunity?"

He smiled appreciatively. "Nice. Where was I for that one?"

"In the hospital for exhaustion after overusing your Sharingan."

He shook his head ruefully. "Of course. Let's begin?"

She snapped the fan open and faced him as he pulled out a kunai.

* * *

Twenty minutes later, Kakashi heaved a frustrated sigh. "Sakura, it's a fan."

"I know that, " she snapped, leaning back against the wall.

"Then why are you trying to use it like a parry weapon?"

"What?"

He shook his head. "I should have known that this would be more difficult for you. You're very offensive. A fan, bladed or not, is primarily for defense."

Sakura said nothing, just gave him a dark look.

He walked toward her, picking the fan from where she had dropped it in frustration, and passed her a handful of senbon. He retreated to the stairway where he placed the tessen on one of the steps, arming himself with a simple paper and wood fan instead. He walked back over to the mat. "Without chakra."

"What?"

"The senbon. Throw them at me without using chakra."

Sakura looked a bit confused before positioning one of senbon between her fingers and letting it fly with barely enough force to break his skin.

Kakashi batted it from the air with the closed fan. "Like you mean it."

She threw another, harder this time, only to have it knocked away in the same manner.

"If I were an enemy, would you throw just one? Take this seriously."

She obliged his request, letting several fly at nearly full force, and watched as he snapped the fan open and swiped the senbon from the air. "You see? It's all in the wrist."

She nodded. It did make more sense once she had seen him demonstrate it.

"Now, with the tanto."

She picked up the short sword and unsheathed it. He smiled as she held the weapon like she had been using one her whole career. Sakura hesitated, "Don't you want the tessen instead of that?"

"No," he verified, holding out his hand and gesturing for her to attack.

Sakura gave a small shrug and then stepped forward. Kakashi dodged several slashes and jabs before moving to block the tanto with the opened fan. The blade sliced through the paper and he quickly snapped it shut and with a sharp jerk he wrenched her weapon from her hand.

"Alright," she said. "Point taken."

"Good. And once you've disarmed your opponent, don't forget that you can use the tessen at a distance." As a demonstration he snapped the bladed fan open and held it level before throwing it like a disc at one of the targets across the room. There was a rather satisfying 'thunk' when the fan bit into the wood. "Add a little chakra to that and you can take someone's head off. Now, let's try this again."

Sakura nodded and went to retrieve the tessen from the target.

They sparred in the confined space and Sakura quickly graduated from blocking senbon and small shuriken to disarming Kakashi of both tanto and kunai. She was slightly taken aback when he pulled a katana from a rack on the wall, but she quickly grasped the concept and was soon holding his sword with a victorious smirk on her face.

Kakashi glanced at the clock. "Come on. Let's get cleaned up and go to Ichiraku for lunch. We'll go on to the training grounds afterward."

"Ramen? Seriously?"

He nodded. "With any luck, we'll find you a different sort of sparing partner while we're there."

"What do you mean?"

"One who's not as delicate as me."

"You want me to spar with Naruto's shadow clones?"

"It doesn't matter if you kill them," he verified with a smile.

* * *

They were slurping down hot noodles in the back corner booth when Sakura saw Naruto walk into Ichiraku. "Finally," she muttered, causing Kakashi, who was facing where she sat with her back against the wall, to tug his mask up. "Naruto! Back here!" she called.

Naruto darted back through the small restaurant and slid into the booth beside Sakura. Kakashi scowled beneath his mask but fought to keep the expression from registering in his exposed eye. Naruto seemed to sense the warning emanating from the older shinobi, because he kept well to his own side of the bench.

Sakura broke the tense silence by getting straight to business. "We were hoping you'd show up."

"Really?"

"Yes. Kakashi thought you would be a good sparing partner for me this afternoon."

"Training again so soon?"

"Of course."

"She's got a couple new tricks up her sleeve," Kakashi warned, finally making his way into the conversation. "She needs an opponent that's not as delicate as me."

Naruto smiled widely.

Sakura swatted him on the back of the head. "Don't get cheeky. He means I need a partner that I'm allowed to kill."

"You're using me for my shadow clones?" he asked, feigning offense.

She nodded.

Naruto pouted, biting the inside of his cheek to hold back the laugh that threatened to erupt.

"Would it make it up to you if I bought you a bowl of ramen?"

That was the end of Naruto's composure. "Always," he laughed.

* * *

After their meal, the trio went to the their old training grounds. Naruto sat under a tree near where Kakashi stood as one of his shadow clones fought with Sakura in the clearing.

"Kakashi-sensei, what's going on with Sakura?"

"Hmm?"

"She seems different. You both do."

"Oh, that. Don't worry, we're both fine."

"Rumors are fly-Damn!"

"What?" he asked, slightly alarmed

"She got him already."

"That was quick," Kakashi agreed with a smile.

"Since when does she use a tanto?" Naruto asked in confusion as another clone stepped forward.

"It's mine. We worked on it a little this morning."

"Why?"

"For the same reason that I once showed you seven ways to kill someone with a pair of chopsticks. Weapon of opportunity."

"Oh. Alright."

Kakashi leaned back against the tree, turning his gaze to where Sakura was making short work of another one of Naruto's shadow clones. She was within striking range and he expected her to lash out and land a killing blow before moving on to the next clone. Instead she made two long leaps backwards, pulled out several senbon, and seated them accurately in the clone's throat. He disappeared with a 'poof'.

Naruto shook his head. "I haven't spared with her for about a month and I guess you two have been working together on some stuff lately, but this is really something."

"It is. Two on one with the clones this time," he said, trying to change the course of the conversation.

Naruto was having none of Kakashi's misdirection. "Sensei, Sakura is my friend: My best friend. I know something happened to her and if she's pushed herself this hard this fast, it had to be something bad."

Kakashi shook his head. "Nothing happened to her."

"Don't lie to me! I heard that she was covered in blood when she reached the hospital and that she stayed unconscious for almost two days. I just don't want to say the wrong thing. I always say the wrong things. Just tell me so I don't upset her," he pleaded.

"It's not that simple."

"The hell it's not."

"Nothing happened to her. Really. A few broken bones; a couple bad bruises; and twenty-seven senbon, two of which were coated with a weak poison."

"Then why was she unconscious so long?"

"Tsunade kept her out because of chakra exhaustion."

"But that doesn't explain…"

Kakashi could see that Naruto wasn't going to drop it. "She wasn't attacked, Naruto. I was."

"But the blood? Everyone said that there was so much blood."

"Most of it wasn't hers."

"Who's was it then?"

The conversation was getting dangerous and Kakashi knew it. There was only so much he could say and yet he had to say enough to satisfy the blonde so he didn't go looking for answers elsewhere. "The two men's she killed. Mine."

"Yours?" Naruto asked, distracted enough that he didn't notice when another one of his clones dissipated.

"Naruto, you and I both carry something with us at all times that those with less than honorable intentions covet and would go to great lengths to acquire."

Naruto's hand automatically went to the seal on his stomach as Kakashi peeled off his hitai-ate. At the sight of the fresh scabs, the blonde's eyes widened.

"One of them could suppress the chakra of anyone with less control than them," Kakashi explained. "He had more control than me. I can't tell you any more than that."

"He tried to cut out your eye?"

"Obito's eye," he corrected automatically. "Yes."

"And she stopped him?" he asked, flinching slightly at the death of another clone.

Kakashi knew that wasn't a question that he could answer, so he was relieved when he heard Sakura call out, "Naruto! Hold the next one off!"

"Are you alright?" Kakashi asked immediately.

"I just need a drink," she said dismissively as she flopped onto the ground near Kakashi and held out her hand for the canteen.

She took a long draw from it. "Thanks."

"No problem. You're looking good out there."

"Really?"

"Yeah, Sakura. That thing with the senbon was awesome," Naruto chimed in.

"Yes. Now it's time to see how you do when there's someone else fighting with you," he said, pulling a scroll from the pocket of his vest and withdrawing drawing a katana that was sealed inside it.

Naruto looked at the well-worn sword. "That's something I haven't seen you use."

"Me either."

"It goes with a porcelain mask," he said nonchalantly.

Sakura took another long drink from the canteen and then passed it off to Kakashi.

"Clones still?" Naruto asked.

"Yes."

"Aw c'mon, I wanna fight."

"But you remember it when they come back to you."

"Yes, but I can't feel it. I haven't had a good spar in ages. No one much wants to anymore. Once in a while I can talk Sai into it but he's always so busy..."

"You and I can go a round when we're done with this one," Kakashi said, forming a quick set of hand seals and watching a shadow clone pop into existence beside him. He handed the katana to the clone.

Sakura shot him a questioning look but said nothing.

"I mean no offense. I'm not questioning your aim. I just want to be able to watch from two angles."

"Alright."

"You can form a shadow clone, right?" he asked, as the thought occurred to him.

She nodded. "Almost everyone in our generation can hold one for at least a little bit."

He looked surprised, but only said, "Good." As an afterthought he asked, "How long can you hold one?"

"Not quite as long as I can hold a henge." She smiled to herself as she turned and walked with Kakashi's clone onto the training field.

Kakashi just shook his head at her remark before he turned to Naruto. "Start off slow, but don't go easy on them."

Naruto nodded, completed the jutsu, and sent a small contingent of shadow clones running toward the field.

* * *

Kakashi and Naruto sat together in the shade as their clones sparred with Sakura. Both men stayed silent as Kakashi tracked the fight with his Sharingan. He was not surprised to see that she ended it quickly. He was, however, surprised to see what was happening to the last opponent that his clone faced off against.

His sword was drawn, pulled back and ready to strike when Naruto's clone disappeared with a 'poof'.

"We'll I'll be damned," Kakashi muttered under his breath, as he dissipated his clone.

"What just happened?" Naruto asked.

"You mean your clone didn't catch it?"

"You were going to get him with the sword. He reached for a shuriken and then… nothing."

Sakura collapsed onto the ground beside them. "I caught him in the back of the neck with a tessen."

"Since when do you use a fan?"

"Weapons of opportunity," Kakashi reminded him.

"Right. Come on old man, let's go."

"You two take it easy. Don't forget that I'm not supposed to be healing anyone yet," she warned as she leaned back against the tree that Kakashi was seated under.

* * *

An hour and forty-five minutes later Kakashi gently shook Sakura's shoulder. Her eyes fluttered open and she glanced up at the darkening sky. "How long have I been out?"

"Long enough. Let's go home."

She nodded and pulled herself to her feet in time to see Naruto retreating from the training grounds. They made their way across town near silence. He didn't break it until they reached his house. "He's worried about you," Kakashi said as they walked through the front gate.

"I know. He has always been able to sense this sort of thing in people."

"I told him as much as I could."

"Eventually he'll read the files and know everything, or at least everything as it is officially documented."

"That's still a long way off," he said, opening the door and holding it for her.

"I know. Despite his strength there's still a long way to go before he could be appointed. To be perfectly honest, too many people still see the fox when they look at him. And I know he suspects, but officially he still doesn't know that Minato was his father."

Kakashi shook his head. "Sensei knew what he was doing. It was everyone else who failed to handle it right. I don't know that I entirely blame them. Between the attack and the demon sealing, it was a terrible thing to witness."

"You saw it?" she asked, settling onto his couch.

"Many of us did. I was still living with Sensei and Kushina at the time. Minato told us what would happen, but I still had to hold her back while he finished the jutsu."

"I don't entirely understand it. I mean. He was a baby."

"He was the perfect choice. An adult would have been treated as a weapon at that point in the war, but Naruto couldn't be."

"But his own son…"

"Could you put another family through that? It was the right choice, Sakura. Some wanted to draw the beast back out and seal it in an adult. Some wanted the fox dead. Both would have killed Naruto. Kushina was as strong willed as any kunoichi I've ever met, save maybe you and Tsunade. No one would have dared to so much as touch her son."

"What happened to her, Kakashi?"

He sighed sadly. "Just because the nine-tail was sealed didn't mean the war was over. The three of us traded off between watching Naruto and fighting the final battles."

"Three?"

"The only ones Kushina trusted with him. Me, herself, and Naruto's godfather."

"He has a godfather?"

"Had."

"Oh. Did he know?"

"That he was his godfather? No. But Jiraiya's death hit him hard all the same."

"Jiraiya?"

"That's another story."

"Alright. Go on."

"There's not much to tell really. Jiraiya was watching him. Kushina had the next shift and I was to relieve her. When I got back to the safe house, I took Naruto from the arms of a very worried Jiraiya. He found her body not long after he returned to the battlefield. She shouldn't have been out there. Less than two weeks after giving birth and she was running on soldier pills and sheer will. We tried to get her to stay with Naruto full time but she was fighting to make sure he had a place to grow up. No one could deny her that or fault her for it.

"When it was finally over, Jiraiya and I both offered to take him in and raise him, but the elders felt that things were too tense to allow for either of us to leave fieldwork behind. I think that's a lot of the reason that Jiraiya resumed his nomadic lifestyle. And then the decree was passed that none of it could be discussed and I was robbed of my baby brother.

"It was a gift to be assigned to teach him," Kakashi concluded, "and I've always been thankful that Jiraiya had the same opportunity."

"I always thought he annoyed you," Sakura observed, trying to not sound as choked up as she felt.

"Of course he did," Kakashi said, something in his voice sounding almost wistful, "Like I said, I think of him as my baby brother."

"You should tell him."

"It's still written as law: no discussing it. And there's really no good that could come of it at this point. It's just another one of Konoha's dirty little secrets: just like the Uchihas." Kakashi bit his lip, fearing that he had said too much.

"I'm sure Naruto doesn't know about that either," Sakura assured him.

"I'm almost surprised that you do," he said, relieved that he had not been the one to let her in on what was quite possibly Konoha's darkest secret.

"I don't think that I'm supposed to, but when I heard rumors in Rain about Sasuke planning to come after the elders, I went looking through the old files. The Third put things in writing that he shouldn't have," she admitted, stifling a yawn.

"I think we wore you out today," he teased.

"Not as much as we did Naruto," she said, thinking of the way that the blonde had dragged himself away from the training grounds.

"He said he hasn't sparred like that in over a year."

"That's probably a good thing. At least you didn't give him anything that he couldn't just patch up with a bit of gauze."

"I was careful. It wasn't hard to see that you were worn out. Go draw yourself a bath. I'll make dinner tonight."

"Are you sure?"

"Definitely. I only went two rounds and one of those was actually a clone, remember?"

"Good point," she allowed, setting off toward the bedroom in search of a change of clothes.

* * *

The tub filled slowly, the water was just on the safe side of steaming. Unable to wait any longer she lowered herself into the tub and let the water fill around her. When it started to drain down the overflow, she sat up just far enough to turn off the tap before reclining back into the water. The dust that had gathered on her skin fell away with the aid of soap and a rough sponge. Her hair was a different story and she found herself humming as she worked the second daub of shampoo through it in an attempt to remove all of the filth.

* * *

The vegetables were almost done steaming when Kakashi made his way to the bathroom door. He lifted his hand to knock only to hesitate upon hearing a soft humming coming from the other side of the door. It was a jaunty little tune that he couldn't name but could recall hearing at the spring festivals. Smiling to himself, he knocked on the door.

The humming stopped. "That was quick."

"Nothing complex tonight."

He heard her stand and drain the tub. "Good. I'm sort of looking forward to getting in bed tonight."

"I figured as much," he said calmly, even as he internally flinched at what a little part of the back of his mind interpreted as a double entendre.

She quickly toweled off and slipped into her shorts and baggy t-shirt while still half damp.

From his seat at the table, he watched as she exited the bathroom and made her way to the bench across from him.

"Naruto wore you out too," she observed.

"Maybe a little bit."

"I want to know when I get to go up against you like that."

Kakashi considered her challenge carefully, thinking over what he had to do in the next few days. "Saturday morning we'll go to the training grounds outside town."

She took another bite of her rice. "Why not sooner?"

"Because I've got a few to take care of tomorrow."

"Oh? Anything that I can help with?" missing the fact that he had not accounted for Friday.

"Sure," he said, without hesitation.

"Good. I hate to think that I might be keeping you from something."

He laid a hand on hers as she reached for her drink. "Sakura, I've told you, you're no bother."

"Let me know if I become one."

He neglected to answer, just smiled.

She let the oddly comfortable silence stretch on for a moment before she pulled her hand away and carried her dishes to the sink. "Let me draw water to wash these and then you can go ahead and take a shower."

"You don't have to, I can get it. Just go to bed."

"Nonsense, you cooked."

* * *

After his quick shower, Kakashi went to the kitchen for a drink before retiring to bed. He was unsurprised to find the dishes stacked neatly in the strainer and the small room tidied up. He turned his water glass upside down in the sink and quietly went to his bedroom.

Sakura was curled onto her side, facing the middle of the bed, already fast asleep. He did not worry about the possibility of her having worked too hard that day. There were more straining things on his mind. He studied her from the doorway for a moment longer before gently climbing into bed beside her.

Even after his head hit the pillow and his eyes closed, he remained awake. He knew what the morning would bring and he was unsure of what Sakura's reaction would be. He could only hope she would see what he was going to offer her as an opportunity and not take offense to it.

 


	10. Thursday - Introduction

Kakashi woke before dawn, after a mere three hours of relatively restless sleep. He gently slid his arm from beneath Sakura's head. She stirred slightly, and then curled into a tight ball on her side. He watched her for a moment. There was something almost innocent about her when she slept. He brushed her hair from her face and she mumbled something unintelligible.

Pulling himself up from the bed, he smiled down at her for a moment before grabbing a change of clothes and disappearing from the room. After changing he made his way to the memorial stone.

There wasn't enough light to see the names, but that was hardly an issue as he knelt and extended a finger to trace Obito's name. "How's sensei doing up there? How's Kushina? I haven't asked you about her lately. You know, I really don't think that he ever held any of it against me: not what happened to you or to Rin, but he also never tried to tell me that none of it was my fault. I'm glad he didn't. I never would have believed him. I hope he doesn't hold what happened with Kushina and Jiraiya against me either, or Naruto for that matter. I don't think he would but it's never stopped me from worrying over it. I bet he's having fits over what I'm doing right now." He reached for his sensei's name. The change in the position of his arm allowed the steadily falling rain to run up his sleeve instead of trickling off his fingers. There was a long pause and his touch returned to Obito's name before he continued. "What is the cause of this? Why am I going to such lengths to protect her when we both know that she can more than take care of herself?" He shook his head. "She takes care of me. She cares about me. I'm not sure that anyone has taken that sort of interest in me since we were Genin. I didn't even see it coming. I've had several days to think it over and I still can't figure out how I was so blind. That's not why though, I've always done what I can for everyone, but this is not me. I've been telling her things that I've never told anyone. I've been doing it since she was in the hospital. I'm starting to think that maybe I've overlooked something about myself here." Kakashi stood, shaking the rain from his hair. "I've got to go. I left Pakkun with her, but I don't want her to wake up and worry. I'm afraid I'm going soft, Obito."

* * *

Sakura woke to the sound of rain pattering against the window as a slightly damp Kakashi slipped back into bed.

"Good morning," she mumbled.

"Mm-hmm."

She snuggled into him and then pulled away. "You're wet."

"I needed to go see an old friend."

"Okay," she said, snuggling back into is side again.

He chucked and rubbed his knuckles up and down her spine.

She looked up at him suspiciously. "You're going to make me get up, aren't you?"

"No."

"Really?"

"We need to talk about something, Sakura," Kakashi began.

He noted that his choice of words probably weren't the best as she tensed and her eyes shifted to a look akin to hurt.

He gave her an apologetic look before continuing. "Tsunade and I had a bit of a talk on Tuesday. She's done everything in her power to keep you out of the Bingo Books. She's issued threats and levied bribes. She's lied to you and about you. It almost baffles me that she didn't see that there was an alternative that wouldn't hold you back."

"Alternative?"

He gave a devious grin. "Let someone else take the fall."

"I'm not so sure it's that easy," she scoffed.

"It is when the person you blame is also you."

That gave Sakura pause for a moment before she asked, "Like a henge?"

He was quietly pleased that she had made the leap so quickly. He nodded, "A secondary identity."

"What?"

"An alter-ego."

"I understood what you meant. I'm just not understanding why… or how."

He sighed. "People like you and me, we tend to stand out in the crowd. It's more than just what we look like; it's what we do as well. Most of your friends, and mine too, could remove their hitai-ates, cut their hair, change into civilian clothes, and go completely unnoticed. We're not so lucky."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because we're easy to pick out. If you saw a silver-haired man with a mask and a ball of lightening in his hand would you stop to think that it could be anyone other than me?"

"No."

"And if I saw a young woman with pink hair split the ground open with her fist would I have any reason to think it wasn't you?"

"No," she admitted. After a pause she asked, "You want me to be someone else?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I am."

"You are?"

"It's probably the biggest secret that I have. I have a failsafe: a password in a file in the Hokage's desk. If I should ever be captured by Leaf shinobi, I tell them the password and they let me go, no matter how I look, no matter what I've done, no questions asked. Tsunade did not know who it was for and I'm fairly sure that the Third didn't either."

"What about the Fourth?"

"It was partially his idea, but he never saw the finished product."

"Oh... So who else are you?" she asked, pulling back so that she could see his face.

"I have two other identities. My first alter was a corrupt business man. My second was a swordsman."

"What are their names?"

"You only have to worry about the swordsman. His name is Matsu Tsukino."

"Tell me about him?"

Kakashi got the sense that she was trying to wrap her mind around the idea and he found himself rambling. "He's got long black hair and one purple eye. I guess you could say he's a gentleman. He dresses rather formally and carries an odachi. He almost comes across as a scholar: soft-spoken and well read. He's not a bad man at first glance or even the second. I'd hazard to say that even you would let him buy you a drink if he offered. But he's merciless when it comes to a job. He's not exactly cruel, but he's terribly efficient. He's in every bingo book but ours, and by all rights he should be listed in there too, but I've been lucky."

"Does Tsunade know all of this?"

"She doesn't know the identity of my first, or that I keep a third in reserve incase I need it, but I told her that I was Matsu, and she knows what the Bingo Books say about him. She met him once but doesn't seem to remember… Doesn't this bother you?"

"Why should it?"

"It's not every day you learn that someone isn't what they appear."

"I already knew you weren't."

"What do you mean?"

"Everyone sees you as a shinobi and only a shinobi; but you're human beneath it all. No one in this business is what they seem."

He gave a short relieved chuckle.

"So how does it work?"

"Creating an alter-ego?"

"Yes."

Her eager curiosity provided him with further relief. "You start with a set of rules for yourself: how you act and dress and fight. Then you work out a henge, it needs to be something that is close enough to how you actually look that you can maintain it without chakra if you need to. Then you go shopping, which isn't easy because you have to dress for your henge while looking like yourself and you'll have to make it look like you didn't do all of your shopping here in Konoha. The next thing is probably the hardest: you chose a name. After that, you work out a story; everyone has a history, and your alter ego needs one as well. The story has to be believable and simple enough that you can repeat it without thinking on it. Then you force yourself to adapt to fighting according to the rules you set for yourself."

"I would think that the story would be the hardest part."

He shook his head. "Names have meanings. You've got to pick one that's neutral enough that it doesn't really tie you to anywhere, but memorable enough that it can easily be tied to you. You don't want it to be forgotten when you're okay with your alter being infamous."

"So, rules. That's where we start, right?"

"Right. Tsunade and I spoke on this a bit, in hopes that you'd agree to it. We want you to remain a medic, but forgo the unnatural strength. You don't use genjutsu enough to be recognized for it, so focus on that in a fight. The work with senbon wasn't for nothing; they would make a good primary weapon. I know they're not exactly your first choice, but…"

"No, I understand. It makes sense."

"Tsunade also says you're too loud and aggressive. I believe she would like to be able to pass you off as a member of society, should she need someone assassinated. She wants you to look the part and included funds for something formal."

Sakura groaned.

"Don't worry so much about it. Matsu slips into society pretty well in his own right."

"It would be a little hard to slip in anywhere carrying an odachi."

"In those sorts of situations he favors a tanto."

She nodded thoughtfully and then pulled the covers back and grabbed a change of clothes before heading toward the bathroom. Kakashi threw back his blankets and followed her from the room. Before she could duck into the bathroom, he threaded his fingers around her wrist and led her into the storeroom.

"What?"

He smiled and pointed toward the ceiling.

She gasped, "How did I miss that?" which combined with the look of wonderment on her face, elicited a chuckle from Kakashi.

"May I?" she asked, gesturing toward the ceiling.

"You want to see it?"

She nodded and he reached up to untie the strips of leather that secured the sword to the eyebolts that supported it.

"How do you…?"

"It's not really as hard as it looks."

"But its… long."

"That's why they call it an odachi," he laughed, "though in some regions this would be considered a short one."

"That's insane," she said, adjusting the flow of her chakra to balance the sheathed blade.

"It took a lot of work. Now it's just like second nature: chakra or no chakra. Just like the fan and senbon will be to you eventually."

Sakura relaxed her stance and allowed the tip of the sword to rest on the floor. She pulled a few centimeters of the blade from the sheath and ran her fingers along the kanji near the hilt of the massive sword. "So when do we start this?"

Kakashi found himself smiling, surprised that she was so willing. "How about after breakfast?"

* * *

After a quick breakfast, they returned to his storeroom. "I've seen you execute a henge, you couldn't have gotten out of the academy without being able to, but how long can you hold one?"

Sakura didn't reply, just bit her lip slightly and looked up at him as though she'd done something wrong.

"If you don't have the stamina for it, that's alright. I've been known to grow out and dye my hair and wear contacts on long term missions."

"It's not that. I can hold a henge for quite a while."

"How long."

"I'd say nearly indefinitely provided I don't get seriously injured or have to do any major medical reconstructions while I'm under it."

"When you say major…"

"Something along the lines of what it would have taken to save Zabuza and Haku."

He stumbled on the notion that pair from Mist could have been saved before he spoke. "Even I can't hold a henge indefinitely, Sakura."

She looked down at the floor and turned with her back toward him. She hiked her shirt up and lowered the waistband of her pants to display a purple diamond low on the small of her back surrounded by a wispy black circle. "I can," she whispered.

"What's a tattoo have to do with this?"

"It's not a tattoo, Kakashi. C'mon you've seen one of these before."

It took him a long moment before the picture of the mark on Tsunade's brow popped into his mind. "A reserve?"

She nodded, noting the surprise in his voice. "I'm sorry I didn't use it last Tuesday. By the time I realized that I needed it, I didn't have enough chakra left to break the seal."

He stepped toward her and tentatively traced the seal. "Is it like Tsunade's?"

"Mostly. I wanted to be a bit more discrete. The seal keeps it from leaking off. I only use it when I need it and I add to it when I can. It's not doing anything for me right now, though I have been putting chakra into it while I've been resting."

"Does Tsunade know?"

"I didn't tell her when I did it, but I have used it in a couple long surgeries and she was the one to clean me up Tuesday. I'd say she knows now, even though she's not said anything about it."

"What about the side effects?"

"The seal mostly prevents that. I don't have to use it all at once like Tsunade does. I can allow a small stream of chakra to leak out to maintain a jutsu without really thinking about it."

"Impressive."

"There are benefits to having access to all of Tsunade's scrolls," she said, pulling her shirt back down and turning to face Kakashi again. "So where do we start?"

"Your hair."

"Of course."

"How about black?"

"No," she said adamantly.

Kakashi quickly realized that her mind had gone in the direction of Sasuke. "You wouldn't look good as a blonde," he observed, studying her closely. "Hmm… Red?"

"Like that's less obvious than pink?"

"Not red like Gaara's," he amended. "Red like Chouji's."

"Oh. Like this?" she asked, executing the henge.

"Yes, but you still look sort of like you."

"Longer? Curls?"

"Try it."

She complied and he smiled. "You won't even have to change those beautiful green eyes."

Sakura blushed slightly at his remark but Kakashi inwardly cringed at his slip-up. She didn't seem to notice his discomfort as she turned to the mirror on the back of the door. "How about…" she turned around to show Kakashi a fine dusting of freckles across her cheeks and shoulders. It seemed natural and didn't make her look any younger.

"I think that's as close to perfect as we'll find," he said with a smile.

"I sound too much like me," Sakura observed, studying herself in the mirror again.

"That can't really be helped. I do my best to drop my Konoha accent when I'm Matsu. It's convincing enough."

"I'm a medic, Kakashi. There are other ways. Should her voice be higher or lower?"

"The tone is fine."

She paused a moment, holding a glowing hand to her throat. "How's this?" she asked, her voice taking on a more delicate note than before.

"How did you do that?"

"I thinned my vocal cords slightly," she said with a shrug.

"You can reverse that. Right?"

She rolled her eyes, the glowing hand coming back to her throat. "Of course," she said, sounding normal again.

"Is there a risk of damage when you do that?"

She shrugged. "Not that I know of."

"Let's pass on that. No one is going to have your voice recorded to compare with hers, just do your best to drop the regional accent."

"Alright."

"Good. Now lets head to the market since it quit raining."

"Why?"

"Stage three."

"You're going to make me shop, aren't you?"

"It's a necessary evil."

"Alright. We'll have to stop by the treasury, I'll need to pull some money from my account."

"That won't be necessary," Kakashi said, withdrawing a pack of bills from his vest. "I told you that Tsunade included funds for something formal. Konoha is footing the bill."

"Really?"

"I was surprised as you are."

"Alright, let's get this over with," she said sullenly.

"That's the spirit."

* * *

They wound their way slowly through the market. Sakura noted that Kakashi looked nervous. He finally spoke, "I should warn you of something before we begin."

"What's that?"

"Tsunade made a request."

"Uh-oh."

"Her exact words were, 'You make her a lady and I'll make her S-class.'"

"Please, no."

"I'm sorry, but again, it makes sense."

"Whatever," Sakura acquiesced, in no mood to argue. "Lead on."

He scratched at the knot of his hitai-ate. "To be honest, I'm not sure how to go about this for you. I don't know how women shop."

Sakura couldn't help but laugh. "Start with the big stuff and work your way down."

"So we start with…?"

"Clothes. Then shoes. Then accessories"

"Okay. Where?"

"I shop there," she said, pointing in the window of a shop.

He looked in the window and shook his head. "It's all ninja gear. Where else?"

"I'm going to hate you by the end of the day."

* * *

Twenty minuets later, Sakura emerged from a fitting room wearing a red, long-sleeved, knee-length dress that was cut to resemble a kimono. A wide black belt took the place of the obi. She had a pair of geta sandals with black straps on her feet and her hair was wrapped up in a loose bun.

Kakashi was taken by the change, until he noticed the obvious problem. "Um, Sakura… you're shopping for the wrong person."

"What do you mean? For what it is, I'm comfortable. It looks good."

"Go back in and henge," he whispered

"What? Why?"

"Just trust me on this… please."

"Alright," she said, disappearing behind the curtain.

Kakashi smiled to himself when he heard a disgusted sound form behind the curtain. "You might be too good at this."

"I've done it three times," he allowed. "It's an easy mistake to make."

"Point taken."

"Try purple, green, or tan," he suggested.

"This could take a while."

"Take your time. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?"

"To the far side of the shop. I see something formal that will be perfect."

"Really?"

"I think."

A few moments later he passed a neatly folded package around the curtain.

"Are you sure about this?" she asked.

"We won't know until you try it on."

After a brief struggle, Sakura emerged again. The kimono was made of a cream colored silk and painted with hundreds of tiny leaves. At the shoulders, the leaves were green, but they faded to the colors of fall as they neared the hem. He regarded her for a moment. She adjusted the deep green obi as she reacted to his scrutiny. He looked around the fitting room. "There's no one here, let's see it with the henge."

She complied. It was all that he could do to not gasp. "Perfect."

She looked at him doubtfully.

"Go back in there and look at yourself."

She did as he said, pulling the curtain shut behind her as she entered the room. She studied herself for a moment and then poked her head back around the curtain. "Definitely too good at this," she said with a brilliant smile.

He laughed. "Change back and get dressed. Well get a few things here and move on. I'm afraid that we're just getting started."

She groaned. "But I've got enough clothes here to last over a week."

"You can't get everything in one place. It makes things looked planned. We'll get the kimono; an outfit or two, definitely that purple dress; a plain dressing gown; and then move on to the next shop. When you get out of the country, pick up a piece or two that look like they have to be from that area, and add them to your pack. It'll have to be a rather big pack."

"You're insufferable."

"I know. Let's get the pack next. It might make this easier."

Sakura emerged from the room looking like herself again. "I guess just these then?"

"Do they have sandals like you had on in brown instead of black?"

"I think you're going to be worse than shopping with Ino!" she said, exchanging the sandals for the pair that he had asked after.

After the purchases were totaled and Kakashi handed over a portion of Tsunade's money, he ushered Sakura out the door and into an open stall where a man was selling leather goods.

"How can I help you?" he asked cheerfully.

Sakura inwardly groaned, thinking that they must be the first customers of the day for the overzealous salesman. She busied herself with small, reinforced leather cases used for carrying vials.

Kakashi took the salesman's attention in stride. "We're looking for a pack."

"All of my packs are displayed, sir."

"I'm sure you have something extraordinary waiting for just the right person to wander in. It's for the lady, you see. She will be needing a rather large pack; something sturdy and not too dark in color. I believe you know the one I'm talking about. It was a pricey piece of art. I saw it last week when I came in after shuriken holster."

"I was supposed to be holding that for someone."

"And now?" Kakashi asked, pulling out a wad of cash and peeling off several bills.

"I suppose a paying customer is of more use than a prospective one," he said stepping into the curtained off area in the back of his stall.

"Sakura, have you found a wallet and something for your vials?"

"Yes," she said bringing them to him, "but I couldn't find the right sort of pack."

"I've taken care of that. What about a case for raw ingredients and a mortal and pestle?"

"It will need to be metal. Anything porous can absorb the important chemicals from the herbs. It won't need to be big, it really only needs to hold a couple things for quick access without chakra. I'll have scrolls containing most ingredients and equipment."

"That makes sense," he allowed as the salesman emerged from his back room.

"Is this the item you were talking about, sir?" he asked, holding up a large pack. The leather of the pack was tooled with a stylized mosaic of different flowers and leaves.

"Does this suit your needs, Sakura?"

She smiled, tracing the patterns on the tough leather. "I believe this will be perfect. I also need a roll to store scrolls in and an undyed hard leather case for the kimono. It will be kept wrapped in paper as it should be, but I need something to keep it from being crushed in the pack."

* * *

The morning continued much as it had begun. A stop at a small, out of the way weapons shop provided a tanto and a beautifully detailed tessen, both of which bore floral patterns tailing. A small, watertight aluminum chest came from a metal smith and after stops at three more clothing stores, which yielded several more outfits and a good traveling cape, Kakashi was finally satisfied. Shopping bags in tow, they nearly collapsed into a booth at a small restaurant a few blocks toward Kakashi's house from the center of the market.

"You're insane. It's worse than shopping with any woman I know. Ino included!"

He shrugged. "I'm efficient."

"Efficient? I'm not even sure what all we bought!"

"We got everything, I promise. We'll sort it out and pack her bag later."

"I was hoping that you'd have something more taxing to do with the rest of today."

"We still have to do the two hardest parts of this."

"I meant train."

"Let's leave that until tomorrow."

"But I think after everything that you just put me through, I deserve to hit something."

He chuckled. "Tomorrow, Sakura."

"So what about today?"

"We'll talk about that at home."

* * *

They finished their meals and then quickly made their way back to Kakashi's house. They dropped the bags in the store room and Kakashi pulled a dress from one of them. "What's wrong with this?" he asked expectantly.

"Other than it's nothing that I'd ever wear and the sleeves are going to be annoying in a fight?"

"But it is something that  _ she _ would wear and sleeves are good for hiding senbon." Kakashi looked at her expectantly but she just stared blankly back at him. Finally he saw that this was a conclusion that she wouldn't jump to on her own. "It looks too new."

"What do you mean?"

"If you'd been traveling as an independent, your clothes wouldn't look like this. There'd be little holes, small patches, frayed edges. Your shoes would be scuffed. Your weapons would be nicked..."

"Oh. So now we're going to have to… age my wardrobe?"

"Right. I'll work on your pack, weapons, and shoes. You take the everyday clothes."

"What about the kimono?"

"Don't do anything to it," he said adamantly.

They sat side by side on the floor for a while, silently working on her purchases.

"So all we're down to is a name," she observed as she threaded a needle to mend the damage that she had just inflicted to one of her dresses.

"And a story, but the name comes first. It needs to be something that's just memorable enough, but not obvious. How about Aoi or Miki?"

"No," she said, rejecting them immediately.

Kakashi took a file to the blade of her tanto, creating small nicks as he thought. "Amarante?" he finally offered as he set the blade aside and reached for the pack.

"No flower references. I've been stuck with wise cracks about flowers my entire life. How about Haruna"

"Too close to Haruno."

"Kaede?" she asked as she worked to cause small frays around the hem of her cape.

"A lot of girls in the leaf are named after trees, you included. I would avoid trees."

"But you're Matsu."

"It's a pun on swordsmanship. You're supposed to be strong but flexible, like a pine in the wind. What about something based on an physical attribute; Hitomi or Akane?"

"Akane… I think I like that, even if it is common."

"This is much easier with two people thinking on it," he said with a laugh as he beset the soles her sandals with a piece of rough sandpaper. "I was almost three hours coming up with Matsu. Now for a surname: Something vague. Nakamura?"

"Akane Nakamura? It might as well be Hanako Yamada."

"But it works. It flows like something a parent would actually name a child. It would be forgettable if not for her hair."

She pouted slightly. "It's always my hair."

"There are much worse things to be known for," he said gently as he slid the last of their purchases back in the shopping bags.

* * *

Later that night, Sakura laid awake long after Kakashi fell asleep. The idea of writing a story for Akane's life was troubling her. It was a given that she had to be unaffiliated and that she had to be a medic, but there was so much else to consider. Kakashi had suggested that perhaps Akane's childhood was spent traveling, living a nomadic lifestyle, that maybe her parents were merchants. That was something that she could identify with, but somehow it didn't seem right. It also didn't explain Akane's chakra control.

Frustrated she let her thoughts turn in another direction. Kakashi had left the drapes open, allowing the blue-cast moonlight to flood in, and she took the opportunity to study him without his knowledge. He had forgone his shirt and the blankets had worked their way down around his waist. He was not chiseled, as many ninja were, but rather built of sinewy lean muscle. For a shinobi he had surprisingly few scars. His slightly faded ANBU tattoo stood out on his bicep. The moonlight made his hair seem almost translucent. She could not resist the opportunity to thread her fingers through it.

As she laid on her side with her fingers ghosting through his hair, she turned her attention to his face. Years of wondering what he looked like beneath the mask had come to a finale after a particularly rough fight in Sound. The newly-trained medic in her had taken over when she saw blood seeping through his mask and dripping down his vest. She smiled on the memory of how Naruto had whined when she sent him away. Kakashi had not put up the fight that she had expected of him, simply tugged down the mask as soon as Naruto had disappeared from view and spit two broken-off teeth out into his palm. She'd had to fight down the tendrils of panic because she had been expecting a simple broken nose. Instead she spent almost an hour working on knitting the teeth back together and repairing the damage to the inside of his mouth. She hadn't really taken notice of his features at the time, but when a mask-less Kakashi appeared in her dreams that night she sat straight up in her bedroll in realization. She had actually seen his face!

He was unconventionally handsome, she had decided. His jaw line was not strong enough to give him a rugged look but his cheeks were not full enough to make him look angelic. She had supposed that left him where all shinobi stood, somewhere between angel and demon. Those were silly thoughts, she now realized. Kakashi was a man. No more, no less.

Sakura settled into her pillow and reached toward him again. She gently eased her hand onto his chest, letting it rest over his heartbeat. The steady rhythm was comforting. She cleared her mind, letting it lull her to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just incase anyone is wondering where the "Hanako Yamada" line came from, that is the Japanese equivalent of Jane Doe.


	11. Friday - Refinement

Sakura woke before Kakashi. Once again, she had shifted during the night and was tightly curled into his side. She made to move away but allowed herself to be deterred by his hand cupping the small of her back. Her movement had caused him to stir.

Kakashi blinked sleepily before meeting her eyes. "What are you doing awake already?"

"Trying to come up with a story."

He opened his eyes more fully and studied her. "Something had to go very wrong in her early childhood for her to be independent but still end up as skilled as she is," he offered.

"So the story has to be sensational but believable?"

"Exactly… and every good story contains at least a kernel of truth."

She thought on that for a moment before curling back into his side and resting her head on his shoulder and settling an arm across his stomach. "Tell me Matsu's story?"

"Why?"

"It'll give me an idea of what I'm aiming for and it's something that I'd be expected to know if we've been traveling together for a while."

He could find no argument. "Alright. Matsu has no memories before he was seven. The first thing that he clearly remembers was standing on the auction block."

"Auction block?"

"Yes, a slave auction." Sakura looked horrified but Kakashi continued without pause. "He was purchased by a blacksmith named Jirou Tsukino. At the time he remembered nothing of his past. He had no name, no home. He couldn't read or write. Medics have since concluded that he lost his memories to the same blow that took his eye.

"The smith had a brother named Ichirou, who ran the dojo that their father had established. Matsu never knew the old man's name, but he always addressed him as Master or Tsukino-sama.

"It was the boy's job to keep the forge fires burning and the shop neat. Occasionally, the older brother would borrow him to make repairs at the dojo, but most of his time was spent cutting wood and stoking the fires.

"The brothers were not good men. They had no respect for anyone or anything except that which was feigned in the name of money. Their father was a retired master of the sword. It was unclear whether he was ever formally trained as a shinobi or if he learned in the more traditional manner of master and apprentice, but the village that they lived in was a civilian one. Rumors said that the old man was a hero of sorts, but his sons treated him like a burden. He slept on a little cot in the back of the dojo after his sons sold off his home and most of his belongings.

"The boy was treated much like an animal. After a year of being with the brothers, he still didn't have a name. Their father wasn't treated much better; the boys seemed to hate him just because his vision had failed him, leaving him completely blind in one eye and nearly blind in the other. Though in their forties, Ichirou and Jirou were both bachelors. No woman would have them and no father would force either of them upon their daughter."

"They sound like horrible people."

"They were."

"Were?"

"Don't make me get ahead of myself. One night the boy was taking some weapons that Jirou had repaired back into the dojo. He placed the weapons on the rack and turned to leave when the old man called out to him, 'Boy, come here. Let me look at you.' As had become his nature, he complied without thought of an argument. The old man studied him through his hazy eye at a distance of barely ten centimeters. 'I have heard you in here time and again when you're working, but you're nearly silent when you carry a weapon. Did you know that?' The boy replied, 'No sir.' The man seemed to think for a moment before asking, 'Have you ever fought, son?' 'I can't, Sir.' 'And why's that.' 'I only have one eye.' The old man laughed. 'What is your name, boy?' 'I… I haven't one, Sir.' The old man was silent for a moment, in what the boy would later recognize as disgust. 'Well you do now, Matsu. And if you want to know why I've given you that name, you'll return tomorrow night after my sons have gone home.'

"And he did. The old man told the boy that he already moved like a swordsman: like a pine in the wind, as he put it. That's what the name means of course, 'Pine.' 'I will teach you to fight,' the old man offered. 'It will be good to have a student again. I know you cannot pay. It makes no difference. One day I may ask something of you. You will do it without hesitation. That will be payment enough.' Matsu readily agreed and, starting that night, he began his training under the father.

"For six years he learned everything that the old man could teach. Not just chakra control and swordplay, he also taught him to read and write and do simple math.

"When Matsu was almost fifteen, the old man took ill. The boy still went to the man's bedside every night. The nature of their lessons changed in those last months to talk of morals and honor. Tsukino-sama knew when his time was near and he called Matsu closer. 'My blood means to dishonor my name. They mean to sell my weapons and any that they can make to an enemy country. I want you to stop them.' The request startled Matsu and he asked, 'How?' The old man gave him a weary smile. 'Son, I have been teaching you how for years. Take my sword and the clothes from my footlocker. When it is done take whatever money they might have on them and my last name and leave. On your way out of town, tell the baker's wife of my condition. She was a nurse. She will know what to do.' 'Sir, are you certain?' 'I told you that I may one day ask a favor of you. Today is that day. You are my only son now, Matsu Tsukino. Do me proud.'

"Matsu left the little room in the back of the dojo wearing Master's clothes with the odachi strapped to his back. It goes without saying that he fulfilled the man's last request.

"He was never actually a shinobi, so the classification of 'missing-nin' does not apply. He made it into the bingo book in that country for the murder of the brothers and his Master, though it was later determined that the sons had poisoned their father and he was cleared of that crime. He now travels around, looking for work as all independents do. He won't take just any job. He has his own sort of moral code that he strictly adheres to." He grew quiet, giving Sakura time to process the story.

After a few long moments she spoke, "You said that every story should have a grain of truth. How much does yours have?" Sakura pressed.

"Quite a bit, actually," he replied carefully."Matsu was not originally intended to be a full-blown alter ego. It began with a henge and a katana for a mission. It actually happened in a small village in Wind. An old man wanted his traitorous sons dead. He was on his deathbed and swore that he would end their lives himself if he could. I offered to use his sword. He was so grateful that I would do him that honor that he gave me the odachi. I could not pass up the opportunity to use Matsu as a second alter after he had such a well laid back story."

"Were they poisoning their father?"

"Yes, but he didn't know it at the time. He only knew that he was dying."

"Did they actually own a slave?"

"No."

"Then why hasn't it come out that Matsu's story can't possibly be true?"

Kakashi smiled at her naivety. "In that part of the world a slave would not have been worthy of notice. He would have been less likely to be acknowledged than a stray dog."

She thought on this for a long moment before asking, "When will I get to see Matsu?"

"Tomorrow."

"So soon?"

"Yes. Matsu and Akane are expected by the Hokage."

"What?" she demanded suddenly alarmed.

"It was her stipulation. She wants to see the end result and set you your own code."

"But I thought…"

"I don't like it either, but she wouldn't let it go."

"Alright. What about the rest of today?"

"Fall into your role as her. We'll spar a little in the basement this afternoon. I want to see you fight against a clone too."

"So you want me to be her for the day."

"Yes and no. Be her without the henge. I wouldn't wear her clothes incase we get company, but you need to work out her mannerisms and work on speaking without the accent."

"I'm going to feel silly."

"I'll act like Matsu if that helps," he bargained.

"I'm not even sure how I'm supposed to act," she admitted.

Kakashi quickly searched for words that wouldn't offend her. "Calm. Demure. Polished. Polite," he suggested.

Sakura groaned, "So like I usually would at a formal occasion."

"Yes."

"And if Akane ends up at a formal occasion…"

"You'll have to go over-the-top."

"I don't like this."

"He's the same way."

"Just so you know, if I've got to do this again: she's going to be in the other extreme."

"That's exactly how it's done," he said with a smile before his face darkened into something much more serious. "But I really hope you never need a second."

"Matsu is your second?"

"Yes."

"And you have plans for a third, if need be?"

"Yes. I'm prepared."

"Shouldn't I be as well?"

He did all he could to suppress the look of horror. "Let's not think about that unless needed."

"Then what is needed?"

Kakashi thought for a moment and then gave Sakura an ornery smile. "Can you walk in those sandals?"

She smirked as she pulled herself out of bed. "With a little chakra, I can do anything. I'm going to have to slip over to my apartment for a few things at some point today."

He nodded as he slid from beneath the blankets. "Then we'll head to the basement after breakfast."

She straightened the blankets before pulling a change of clothes from the dresser and disappearing into the hallway. By the time Kakashi had finished dressing for the day, she was already at the table setting two plates of bread and fruit side by side.

He glanced down at the place settings before a kiss on his cheek caused him to look at her questioningly.

"Was I wrong to assume that there is something more than a mutually beneficial partnership between us, Matsu?"

His unaccented reply came without a thought. "Akane, you know better than to question such things, but you mustn't call me by name here."

"Of course," she said with a small bow, walking toward the kitchen to retrieve two cup and the teapot, which had just whistled. "I'm sorry. Please sit."

He did as she requested and Sakura poured the tea carefully, serving Kakashi before herself, and then took a seat beside him at the table.

"Tell me about your first," she asked in the same sweet, accent-free voice.

Kakashi choked on his first sip of tea. "That's hardly appropriate."

Sakura jabbed him in the ribs. "You've read those books one too many times. I meant your first alter-ego."

"That's not really…"

"Kakashi, don't you think it's a little late to go censoring things."

"It's not that, Sakura."

"He's… um… You're not going to let me eek out of this with half an answer, are you?"

"Not unless I have to."

"I don't want you involved with him."

"That doesn't make any sense. You are him."

"I might be him, but he isn't me. He is as good as another person."

"Alright."

"Matsu is noble, moral. Makato is anything but."

"Makato?"

"I'm not telling you his surname. I'll do everything I can to make sure I never step into his shoes again."

"Why?"

He stood from the table and made his way back to his storeroom.

For a moment Sakura was put out by his sudden disappearance, wondering if she had pushed too hard. She was relieved when he returned with a book in his hand. "Page eighty-seven," was all that he said.

She was surprised to see Rock's Symbol on the cover of the book and shocked by the contents. "How did you get this?"

"It was on a target. At the time I thought it might eventually be useful. I have one from nearly every country. I would have thought that acquiring them would be a common practice, but Tsunade nearly had my head for not sharing the intel."

She turned to the page he had indicated to find the photograph a young man staring back at her. A square jaw and a slightly crooked nose set off his short brown hair and dark brown eyes. The suit that the man wore hinted at western origins, but was made of local fabrics. "This is a good henge," she observed as she read the information. Officially the man was considered a civilian although he seemed to have at least some control of his chakra and he was noted as being talented with a switchblade knife as well as a wooden club. He had been given a low A-class ranking for his deeds; which included extortion, counterfeiting, robbery, battery, assault, and several murders.

"Minato needed to be able to get someone into a meeting just before the start of the war. It ended up being an in to an international organized crime ring. It was mostly petty stuff, a lot of faulty weapons, illegal trade agreements, that sort of thing. But I've come to believe that it was the rudimentary model that Akatsuki was based on. They kept a very tight circle of members; it took a lot to work your way in and once you were in, you were in for life."

"Do you still use it?"

Kakashi shook his head, "A couple years ago I attempted to gain an in with Akatsuki under that identity. It didn't go very well."

"How bad?"

"I ended up having to pull some fancy footwork with a clone to distract Zetzu long enough to get away. Tsunade didn't know exactly how I was going about things and she had Shizune's team standing by in case I needed help."

"How bad of shape were you in?"

"It wasn't so bad. I did manage to get out of there before I lost the henge, and then drop it before I got to Shizune's extraction team, but not by much. I wasn't injured too badly, but there was a bit of poison involved. It was nothing that Shizune couldn't handle."

"Have you used him since?"

"I can't really."

"Why?"

"Zetsu thinks he killed Makato with a slow acting poison."

"How could you know that?"

"Inochi was on a surveillance team that did some recon after I got out. Supposedly Zetsu's split personality makes an easy mark for his jutsu."

"Oh."

"I suppose that he could resurface if need be. I still keep his things, but I would rather be rid of him."

She stood to clear the last of their breakfast from the table. "I think I can understand that."

Kakashi nodded. "At times it was difficult to play such a corrupt man. It shouldn't have been. It was just part of the job."

"I'd be worried if you didn't feel that way about it."

Kakashi paused a moment, thankful that she was still able to find the human beneath the shinobi. "Come on, let's see that clone of yours."

She smiled and quickly descended the stairs. He followed at her heels and took a seat on the second one from the bottom.

She stood before him, concentrating on a single hand seal for several seconds before moving into another one. He felt the flare of chakra as soon as her fingertips touched creating the second seal.

"What was that?"

"I have to leak a little chakra out of my reserve to hold a clone for and extended period of time. I'd say this is about what Akane's chakra signature will look like all the time; it will be more than enough to support her henge."

"What if you need more?"

Sakura didn't understand and gave him a confused look.

"What if you're hurt or unconscious and you need more chakra. Is there a way for me to crack the seal open for you?"

She thought about it for a long moment before she nodded and said, "I'll show you later, but you'll have to be very careful if you should ever have to. I store more chakra than my body can handle."

"You're saying I could kill you if I open it the whole way?"

"Yes. But I trust you." She let that hang in the air for a moment before smiling. And forming another set of hand seals. "Now, you wanted a shadow clone?"

When the small amount of smoke dissipated, Sakura stood beside herself. The two women smiled back at him as he raised himself from the step and moved toward them. He circled them, studying them carefully. "Very good. Henge the clone into Akane."

The woman on the left formed the seals for a henge and then changed before his eyes. For the first time he was able to contrast the two women without calling upon his memory. Even when they wore the same clothes, he could see that the disguise needed no adjusting. He admitted to himself that if he were to have passed the red-head on a street in some foreign village, while he would have most likely given her a second glance, it would not have been because he suspected that she was not what she appeared. "Go upstairs and let me go a round with her."

"What?"

"Trust me, Sakura. Fifteen minutes at the most. I just want to make sure that you've got a firm grasp on what you can and can't do as her and that you're control over a clone is good enough. It'll be easier for me to do if you're not watching."

"Right," she allowed, heading for the stairs.

"Put on her sandals and come back down when you feel her go. "

"What makes you so sure that you can take her."

Kakashi shrugged. "She is you and you wouldn't hurt me too badly."

Sakura nodded and ascended the stairs. When the door clicked shut, Kakashi turned to the proud yet demure clone with a smile and gestured to the assortment of weapons stored along the wall. "Arm yourself."

* * *

It was a full seventeen minutes later when Sakura felt her clone leave. She smiled at the information that came to her and headed downstairs. Despite knowing what she would find, she laughed when she saw Kakashi leaning on the steps on his elbows.

"She's still me," she reminded him playfully. "You shouldn't have taunted her."

"I know that now. Please just get this senbon out of my ass."

"I take it we passed?" she asked, pulling out the small steel needle.

"With flying colors," he said, relaxing slightly at the application of chakra that was sealing the small hole shut.

"Good. What's next?"

"Basic no-chakra spar."

She smiled.

"Wearing those," he amended, pointing at the sandals that she carried by the thongs.

"If I'd have known that, I might have left that senbon where it was," she said cheekily as she slipped on the geta sandals.

Kakashi shook his head. "I'll be right back," he insisted, darting up the stairs.

The clip of wood against wood alerted Sakura to his return. She smiled when she saw that his boots had been replaced by a pair of geta sandals as well.

"I suppose I don't feel so bad about it now," Sakura allowed.

"You might have to use chakra to make sure that you don't loose a sandal," he advised, "and you'll have to remember to not strike fully with the top of your foot."

She nodded and took her stance, waiting for him to initiate the spar.

He hesitated a moment too long and she advanced, lifting her leg high to land a kick to his chest. He grabbed her foot and shook his head before releasing it. "She's not you, Sakura."

"What?" she demanded, jerking her foot from Kakashi's grasp.

"Genjutsu, poisons, senbon, tessen, and tanto if absolutely necessary. Those are her strong points."

"Right."

"Have you ever fought someone like that? Someone limited to genjutsu and small, primarily ranged, weapons?"

Sakura thought for a moment. "Once."

"How did the fight go?"

"They didn't last long."

He chuckled despite himself. "That's not what I'm asking. How did they react to your fighting style?"

"They fell back," she said in understanding. "Akane wouldn't be overly-skilled at taijutsu. She wouldn't need to be if she was a master of genjutsu. She would be defensive and if she attacked it would be overt and simple."

"Right," he said with a proud smile. "Now let's start again."

This time Kakashi wasted no time in beginning his attack, he quickly moved to strike at her and she blocked him nearly immediately. He shook his head and struck out again. On the fifth time she finally threw an arm up in a half-hearted block, which stopped the blow but paled in comparison to her usual finesse.

"Perfect," he said with a smile.

"This is not as easy as it looks."

He laughed. "Try training yourself to fight like a civilian."

Their sparring continued for nearly an hour before he called it.

"Good. Very good. Any genjutsu you want me to take a look at?"

Sakura sighed in frustration. "No. I want you to fight without holding back."

"That's all Matsu has."

"What about all that you have?"

"Akane will never have to fight me."

"You can't know that."

Kakashi let the thought catch him off guard for a moment and then shook his head. "I trust that you have a poison or some sort of a medical jutsu that would render one of us unconscious long enough to make it look convincing."

Sakura simply nodded. "A few. Good point."

He smiled, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair. "We'll be seen together as Matsu and Akane. We'll have to explain that," Kakashi said, trying to keep the days business moving along.

She nodded thoughtfully as she began up the stairs. When she reached the top the answer came to her, "Spring Breeze."

Kakashi looked at her questioningly, cocking his to the side slightly.

Sakura just smiled, "I'll tell you over lunch."

* * *

Once the circumstances of their meeting were discussed and the dishes were cleared away they set off across town for Sakura's apartment. He waited in the living area while she slipped into her bedroom and pulled a box from the top shelf of her closet.

"You don't have to hang around while I do this," she said as she set the box on her dining table.

"You know that I do."

Sakura sighed. "Alright."

"Can I help you?"

"No. I'll do the pen-work on them here, but for most of the contents I'll have to slip into my office and over to the hospital."

He nodded and sat down beside her at the table. She looked over at him suspiciously. "Okay, okay, I can take a hint. I'll be on the couch."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome to find something on my bookshelf or make yourself some tea." With that nicety out of the way, Sakura turned back to her scroll, ignoring Kakashi completely.

While she was ignoring him, Kakashi took the opportunity to study her. She sat up straight on the wooden bench and wrote with perfect form. He had already removed his mask upon entering her apartment, and he now pushed up his hitai-ate and carefully watched her brush strokes while his mind drifted in other directions. The story that she had laid out at lunch had been nothing shy of perfection. He tried to account for her ability to weave such a tale while he made note of the items that would be contained within her scroll. He had expected many of them: nightshade, jimsonweed, several nettles, two mortars and pestles, several small empty vials, sake, and some prepared poisons. Others, such as a tea infuser, mistletoe, and honeysuckle, he had not expected.

Sakura stretched and rubbed the back of her neck before laying the scroll aside and pulling out another. When she set about penning the required seals, Kakashi lowered his hitai-ate and turned his attention to her bookshelves. Scattered among the well-worn medical texts that he expected were a dozen works of fiction. Nine of them appeared to be part of a series. He quickly noted that, if the condition of the spines was any indication, they'd never been read. The other three were the exact opposite. Thick creases marred the spines and it took him some time to discern the titles. One of them was missing the paper cover from the spine completely. This was the volume that he settled on.

When he slid it from between a large tome of herbs and a thin text on the ethics of chakra healing, the cover fell off. He panicked for a brief moment before noticing the yellowing tape that had finally given way. He gingerly opened the book and found himself surprised by her yet again. Whatever he had been expected, a book of traditional legends was not it. Something so innocent seemed out of place in their world.

Regardless how old-fashioned he thought it was at first, he soon found himself engrossed.

* * *

Kakashi was shook from his reading when he heard the teakettle whistle. He looked up to see Sakura pouring the tea into a pair of plain ceramic mugs. He carefully laid the book aside when she started toward him with the mugs and a small plate with honey and lemon slices balanced on it.

"I never figured you for a lover of folklore," she admitted as she passed him a cup of tea.

"I was about to say the same thing," he admitted, before taking a sip of the tea.

"When I first started working in the hospital, I often ended up with long shifts in the pediatric ward. I didn't know what to say to them and I hated that. My grandmother told me the old stories when I was very little, but I couldn't remember exactly how they went. The first thing that I bought with my first paycheck was that book."

"Which is your favorite?"

"The story of Hanasaka Jiisan. Grandmother used to tell the story as though my Grandfather was the old man. She told me that every year he sprinkled the ash over the trees so they would bloom in time for my birthday," she smiled fondly at the memory before turning the question on him. "What about yours?"

"My favorite?"

"Mm-hmm," she hummed as she sipped her tea.

"Issun-boshi," he admitted, one of the few safe memories of his childhood floating up to the surface.

Instead of questioning him on the reasons for that choice, Sakura only nodded. "The scrolls should soon be dry. I'll fill them at my office."

"Are you going to let me help with that part?" he asked, glad for the change of topic.

"No. You'll have to wait for me in the lobby."

"What?"

"Plausible deniability."

"But I'm not supposed to…"

"Kakashi, does she need the scrolls?"

"Yes."

"Do you think she would tell you all of her secrets?"

"Maybe," he said hopefully.

"Really?"

"No."

"Then we have to do this my way."

"Why?"

"Because you don't need to know everything in advance. If she or I either one gets caught with some of the things that I have locked away in my office it could be seen as treason, or worse."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I've been doing some experimental work that I'm not ready to explain to Tsunade. Please don't ask me any more about it."

Kakashi thought back to the beginnings of his Chidori and how many trips he had taken to the hospital. All those times passing the burns on his hands off as a fire-jutsu gone wrong or an accident with a stove made him at least partially sympathetic to her position, so he nodded.

"Thank you."

* * *

Shizune was making her way back to the office that she used in the Hospital. He shift had run longer than she expected and she was in a hurry. But not too much of a hurry to miss Kakashi sitting on the floor propped up against the wall outside Sakura's office door.

"She's not supposed to be working yet," Shizune scolded.

"She's not," he assured her.

"Then what are you two doing here?"

He shrugged. "Dunno. I'm stuck out here."

"She locked you out?"

"Locks don't really mean much," Kakashi said, rolling his eyes.

"Of course not. But that doesn't explain why you're out here."

"She doesn't want me in there. She said to wait in the lobby. This is the compromise."

She shook her head. "You've really become something, Kakashi."

He didn't want to discuss what the woman in the office behind him had reduced him to. "Don't you have somewhere to be?"

Shizune smiled, "Yes, I suppose I do," and with that she started off down the hall toward her office.

"And I'm the one who's 'really become something'."

"What's that?" came Sakura's voice from her now-open door.

"Nothing," Kakashi said, pulling himself to his feet. "How about some dinner before we start home."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

She looked at Kakashi across the table as they lingered over their sake. "How do you think it's going for them?" she asked, trying to distract herself from the worries she had about the next day.

"What?"

"Shizune and Gai."

"You worry too much."

"You're not even curious?"

"It's not necessary. If there's one thing that I know about Gai, it's that he never passes on a wide-open opportunity; whether it's an opening in a fight or an opportunity to embarrass himself, he takes it."

"And this one is sort of a combination of both," Sakura mused. She reached into her purse to toss her part of the bill on the table, but Kakashi shot her a warning look and shook his head. Sakura ignored him and walked toward the door.

By the time they returned to Kakashi's, Sakura was ready for bed. She was not so much physically tired as she was mentally exhausted. Kakashi made no argument as he watched her retreat through the bedroom door. Instead, he made his way into his storeroom. He made a quick check of Matsu's pack and after he was sure that everything was in order, he took the odachi from its hooks.

The repetition of honing the blade was calming. The sound helping to ease away the tension of what he was about to do. He knew that logically there was nothing to fear. There were very few people in Konoha who had seen him as Matsu and he had made sure that no one knew he was using the alter egos. He supposed that was where the unsettled feeling was stemming from, it was enough to share his secret with Sakura; but to have it come out to the Hokage, for her to know more than even Minato had, was disconcerting to say the least.

On the other side of the wall that separated the storeroom from Kakashi's bedroom, Sakura sat cross-legged on the bed. Meditation was not something that she usually resorted to, but she knew that her current situation called for concentration. She drew a deep breath in and let it out slowly, trying to focus on Akane instead of her own situation.

She concentrated on the image of the woman as seen in the mirror in the dressing room. The red hair and green eyes and the fine silk kimono came to the forefront of her mind and then she worked backwards. Where had this woman been a week ago? A month? A year? Ten years? What had her childhood been like? She tried on several answers to each question before progressing backwards, always asking herself it what she was imagining would result in the woman that Akane was supposed to be. The only detail that she didn't have to stress over was the 'how' of her introduction to Matsu, and it ended up sliding neatly into place in her fabrication. Nearly everything else was a struggle.

Her imagination was overworked when she finally shook herself from the trance-like state and settled back against the pillows. The story was everything that it was supposed to be: simple and memorable with a touch of tragedy. She replayed the details of Akane's life until sleep finally overtook her.

When Kakashi felt the shift in Sakura's chakra signature that signaled sleep, he slipped from his storeroom, shedding his vest and shirt along the way and slid into bed beside her. Sleep was not something that came easy and for quite a while he laid back and stared at the ceiling, trying to run through the next days plans. It was not until she curled into his side just after two a.m. that he finally gave himself over to sleep.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are welcome and much appreciated.


	12. Saturday - Preparations

By five a.m., Kakashi was awake again, jerked back into consciousness by the feeling of Sakura rolling away from his side. He might not have been getting any sleep, but it was obvious that she wasn't getting any rest even as she slept.

He reached toward her, gently running his fingers through her hair in an attempt to lull her into deeper sleep. She didn't settle at the contact; instead she flinched away from his touch. Feeling somewhat offended even though he knew that he shouldn't, Kakashi withdrew his hand and settled for watching her closely.

Sakura rolled over again, putting more of the bed between them and coming to rest facing him. Her brow was furrowed in the expression that Kakashi had come to recognize as worry. She opened her mouth to speak. No sound came out but he was surprised to see Matsu's name form on her lips.

Her brow furrowed deeper and she twitched, as though struggling against someone who was holding her captive. He reached toward her to shake her from her obviously troubling dream when she sat up straight in the bed.

"No!"

Kakashi couldn't know whether it was the dream or the volume of her own scream that woke her up, but Sakura's eyes snapped open and she looked wildly around the room.

He knew the look on her face from seeing it on other shinobi's. After years of training and missions, when woken suddenly, most ninja were ready for action but not exactly discerning about targets. It was a sort of self-preservation that students were cautioned against as early as their academy years, least their sensei wake in such a state on a mission.

He knew he didn't have a choice but to rouse her from her current state of semi-consciousness, but he also knew better than to underestimate the risk involved. Bracing himself for her reaction, he laid a hand on her shoulder and shook gently.

The reaction was instantaneous, but he was prepared for hit and caught the fist that was aimed at his head. Her fist landed in the palm of his hand and he squeezed gently. "Sakura, it's just me."

She struggled against his grasp and he shook her shoulder again, a bit harder this time.

She came around slowly, her eyes clearing of their sleepy haze. She glanced at her fist, still held tightly in his grasp, and then at his face. She immediately looked away in embarrassment.

Kakashi released her hand. "It was just a dream," he assured her.

"I… I wasn't me, " she says in a tone that that was somewhere between alarm and wonderment.

"I know," he said calmly.

"How?"

"You called for Matsu."

She looked horrified.

"I've had those dreams too, Sakura. Never this early, but it happens."

She nodded slowly.

Kakashi knew it was not something to be lingered over. "We might as well get some breakfast. It's going to be a long day for the both of us."

She studied him for a moment before pulling herself out of bed and heading for the kitchen.

* * *

After breakfast Sakura sat on Kakashi's bed and sorted through her purchases from Thursday. She tucked the kimono, a change of Akane's clothes, weapons, scrolls, and the cases containing poisons and ingredients into Akane's bag.

Though it defied logic, Sakura found herself still worried about 'meeting' the Hokage. When she confided this in Kakashi, she was surprised when he laughed nervously and said, "Me too."

"What do you have to be nervous about?"

"I've had this identity for more than a decade. I've been in Fire as Matsu on occasion, but I've never been inside of Konoha as him."

"You're afraid of being made?"

"Not really. Since you invented Spring Breeze, the last real flaw went out of my disguises."

"Then what worries you?"

"How we'll be received," he said, as though stating the obvious.

"What is there to be worried about?"

"Probably nothing. I'm just not sure how I'll be reacted to, especially if someone's heard of him." He sat down on the bed and helped Sakura tuck Akane's pack into her own. "Sakura, Matsu is not a good man."

"No shinobi is truly a good man."

"Matsu has done things that I never would." Kakashi drew in a deep breath. "He's killed innocents: even a whole family of them once. One of them was barely academy aged. The mother wasn't even shinobi."

Sakura's eyes widened fractionally, even though she tried to suppress it. "Why?"

"My orders said that they possessed a new and very dangerous Kekkei Genkai. That's all I know. Other than that, nearly all of the work I've done as Matsu's has been assassinations. Most of them were in situations where ANBU shouldn't be involved. In a lot of ways, I'm no long an active part of ANBU because the solo missions that I'm assigned to are beyond them or in situations where Konoha just shouldn't be sticking their nose." He paused for a moment. "Maybe I shouldn't have gotten you into this," he said suddenly. "The guilt doesn't fall away with the henge."

"I'm going to be honest with you," she said, reaching out to lay a hand on his shoulder to draw his attention. He looked up at her and she continued. "Even though it often causes me nightmares, I've never really felt guilty about what I've had to do on the battlefield. When I can't save someone that I'm supposed to heal, it's a different story, but even that's not guilt, its more sadness for those left behind. The enemy doesn't cause me guilt or sadness."

"Akane won't be on the battlefield. Her work will be more subtle and more personal than that. She'll be sent to parties to kill the host. She'll have to pose as a medic in other countries to make sure that certain threats don't survive routine treatments. You might even have to repeat what you did to the medic. It won't be easy."

"I'll be alright," she said dismissively. "Shouldn't we be going soon?"

He sighed in resignation, realizing that she wouldn't back down from the path that he'd offered her. "You're all packed?" he asked as he stood.

"Yes."

"And you're sure about this?"

She looked up at him and gently placed a hand on his forearm. "This was your idea."

"I know, but that doesn't mean…"

"I want to do this. I want to be able to do my part for Konoha and work at my full potential. This will let me do that because Tsunade is too protective of my reputation. I'm glad that you're giving me the opportunity."

She had said exactly what he needed to hear. He held a hand out to her. "Okay. Lets go."

"But don't you need to pack a change of clothes or something?" she asked, allowing him to hoist her to her feet.

He scratched the back of his head. "Well… no."

"But you said we'd both be… and you said I couldn't be seen with you… I'm not sure I can do this alone."

He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "Would I do that to you?"

"No, but…"

He smiled and pulled a scroll from a pocket on his vest. "I'll make you one later. It's makes things easier than having to try to conceal clothes and weapons for two different people."

"I should have known," she said, shaking her head. "You couldn't exactly walk out through the gates carrying a sword that size without raising suspicion."

"Right. Even if it was practical, you can't look like you've packed for two."

She nodded in understanding and they left his house. Other than a short discussion when they were at the market, their trip across town was silent and they made their way out through the gates with a wave to Kotetsu.

Upon arriving at their usual training grounds, he slipped a bottle of pre-mixed Spring Breeze into her hand. She nodded in understanding and then walked away from him, finding a place where she could change in private.

She quickly stripped out of her usual uniform, henged, dabbed the Spring Breeze onto her pulse points, and then donned one of Akane's outfits. Sakura was still not sold on the two-tone lavender dress or the geta sandals. She slipped several senbon into the hems of her sleeves and tucked her tanto and fan into her belt. After quickly slipping her pack and clothes into Akane's leather pack, she shouldered it, stepped into her sandals, and then went to find Kakashi.

* * *

In the meantime, Kakashi had slid his Jonin uniform into a small drawstring bag. He placed the bag in the center of the scroll and after a few quick hand seals it was replaced by a large, boxy black pack and the odachi that hung from the ceiling in his storeroom.

* * *

When Sakura returned to where she had left Kakashi, he had already returned, or rather Matsu had. Kakashi's alter ego was surprising to her despite the description that he had given her. His hair was longer, had been henged black and straight, and he wore it tied loosely at the base of his neck. As he had warned her, his mode of dress bordered on formal, and he wore all black save a deep green obi. He wore geta sandals as well and she found that she took a small degree of comfort in that. Kakashi let her get a good look at his face before tying a simple strip of black cloth over his Sharingan. His jaw was a bit stronger than it was naturally, and his nose a bit shorter, but was impressed her most was how the henge made his left eye socket look empty, nothing more than a gaping black hole surrounded by slightly puckered skin. It was very realistic and most people would find it disgusting enough to not spend too much time studying it.

Kakashi wore a tanto with a worn black hilt tucked into his obi, but the most surprising part of his disguise was the odachi that he wore strapped to his back. The sword seemed longer than it had looked in his storeroom, even after she had handled it. The end of the scabbard cleared the ground by only a few centimeters and the butt of hilt fell level with the top of his head. His pack was worn over the scabbard and she wondered how it was possible to draw a weapon of such size, let alone wield it in a fight.

As Sakura's eyes were taking in Kakashi as Matsu, he considered her alter-ego. Seeing the duality of her second identity was surprising. When he made the transition into Matsu, he barely noticed it. It was just part of the job for him. He had seen the henge, the disposition, and the clothing separately, but seeing Sakura fully transitioned into Akane was astounding.

Sakura was exotic while Akane's beauty came as much from her grace as from her looks. Sakura was unbridled power while Akane was calm and poise, which was surprisingly intimidating. Sakura had the ability to scare small children, but Akane seemed the sort of woman that you could take home to meet your family: at least until they figured out how venomous she really was.

He smirked. "I believe even Tsunade will have to look twice."

"I can't begin to tell you how uncomfortable I feel," she said, fidgeting with a small glass vial on a chain around her throat.

"So did I at first," he said brushing lint from his black hakama.

"It gets better?"

"Of course. What is that?" he asked, indicating the necklace.

"It's empty for now. I can put a poison in it later. Or maybe a small flower in alcohol: a blossom of dogbane or nettle perhaps."

He simply shook his head in amusement and offered her the bag that they had picked up from the market. She took a chunk of the loaf of bread and an apple. They ate in silence. Only once he finished his lunch, did Kakashi speak, "Do you want to go quick round before we go into town?"

"What?"

"It'll help you relax and will make us look like we've been traveling all day."

She nodded. "It'd be good to get a feel for what I can and can't do with these sleeves too. No weapons, no chakra?"

"Sounds good," Kakashi allowed before quickly adding another stipulation. "No genjutsu."

"Of course."

He quickly shed his pack and unbuckled his sword before pulling the tanto from his obi. She did the same, depositing her pack, fan, and tanto beside his before moving to take the senbon from her sleeves.

"Leave them."

"What?"

"You'll know that you have them placed correctly if they don't jab you during a fight."

"Alright."

"We'll stick to the wooded area in the center of this training ground."

* * *

After their scuffle as Akane and Matsu, Sakura stood and walked over to pull Kakashi to his feet. He combed his hair back and re-secured it into a loose ponytail. She brushed the dust off her dress and then moved to do the same to the hems of his pants.

Kakashi looked down at her. He wondered for a moment at the unprompted gesture. Though she would probably argue the fact, he knew that she was a natural in this role. It was exactly the sort of thing that he could picture Akane doing for Matsu. "Is your story complete?" he asked, scrambling for something to break the intimate silence.

"Yes."

"Good. You can tell me the gist of your story on the walk to Konoha. If Tsunade asks you questions, it will not do for me to look surprised."

There was no need to leave a clone behind, as reserved training grounds were not entered unless a call for help was sent out. Several accidents had made it obvious that making sure that the shinobi using the grounds were safe was more likely cause injury to the one doing the checking than to save someone who had managed to injure themself.

By the time they neared the gate Sakura had laid out the story that she had devised and slipped more comfortably into her to role as Akane. Being more traditionally dressed was still not as comfortable as being in her normal clothes, but she was quickly finding that looking like a lady made her more inclined to act like one. She paused and looked up at Kakashi expectantly. "No need to be nervous. Just follow me."

She gave a small nod and an almost unperceivable bow. "As you wish, Matsu."

He felt a swell of pride over her reaction. She had been in her guise for less than three hours and she was a completely different person. He fleetingly wondered if even he would have been able to recognize her for who she really was.

* * *

Izumo was sitting at the gate with his feet propped up on the guard's desk. He stifled a yawn. Kotetsu jabbed him in the ribs with an elbow and pointed past the open gates. Two figures approached.

The shinobi behind the desk examined the pair that approached. Izumo straightened in his chair and pulled a form from the desk drawer.

"Good afternoon. Name, affiliation, and business in Konoha please?" he asked the dark haired man who had paused before the desk.

"Matsu Tsukino to see Hokage Tsunade-sama."

"Affiliation?" he repeated.

"I have none."

"And you ma'am?" Kotetsu asked, turning to the young woman at his side.

"I travel with him," she said in a small voice. "I am to see Hokage-sama as well."

"Name and affiliation?"

"Akane Nakamura. Matsu is my only affiliate."

"Length of stay?"

"That is dependant upon your Hokage's wishes," Kakashi allowed in a flawless, accent-free voice.

"Very well, I will summon an escort," Izumo said as he glanced over the information that Kotetsu had jotted down on the form.

"That won't be necessary," panted a more-frazzled-than-usual Shizune. It was apparent that she had run the whole way to the gates. "Lady Tsunade sent me to collect her guests."

Kotetsu nodded and then turned to address Matsu and Akane, "This is Shizune. She will escort you to Hokage Tower."

Both Kakashi and Sakura gave a small nod and followed silently.

* * *

Shizune rapped lightly on the door to Tsunade's office.

"Come in."

"Lady Tsunade: Matsu Tsukino and Akane Nakamura to see you," Shizune announced, poking her head inside the room.

"Send them in," Tsunade said, standing expectantly.

Shizune opened the door a big wider and allowed the pair to walk into the office.

Tsunade's jaw dropped. "Matsu. Oh, my. I didn't realize…"

Kakashi smiled at her "It is a small world, is it not, Lady Hokage-Sama?" he said with a small bow.

"Indeed it is," Tsunade responded with a fondly nostalgic smile. "Shizune: see to it that this sector of the building is cleared and go home for the evening. These are delicate matters."

"Yes, Lady Tsunade," Shizune replied, hastily stepping out the door and sliding it closed behind her.

"Come. Sit down."

Sakura set her pack down, gave a small bow and lowered herself into one of the chairs before the Hokage's desk. Kakashi gave a bow as well, but then stepped forward; dropping his pack, undoing the straps that held his odachi on his back, and laying the massive sword across the desk; before retreating to his chair with another bow.

Tsunade smiled, pleased by their act. "I take it that this is the lady you contacted me about?" she asked him.

"Yes, Lady Tsunade-sama. This is Akane Nakamura. After my letter I believe she needs no further introduction."

Tsunade noted the retreat of Shizune's chakra with a smirk. "First of all, as soon as you two of you exit this room, I will forget that this meeting ever happened. You convinced everyone between the gate and here and as much as I hate to admit it, if I had not been expecting you, I'd be convinced as well. It would be too exhausting to keep up such pretenses."

The pair nodded.

"The henges are nearly perfect. I have to admit that when I first met Matsu, I never suspected that he was from Konoha. Let alone…" she let the sentence drop before turning to the woman. "And likewise, Akane, the only thing reminiscent of her is your eyes."

"He said that my green eyes worked well with her red hair."

"That they do," she said shooting Kakashi a sly smile. "This look is beautiful on you, and just memorable enough for it's purposes. Now let's get down to business. First of all, your code."

She handed Sakura a slip of paper, which the redhead opened and glanced over.

"I know it's long, but I'm sure you can work out the pattern."

Sakura studied it a moment and then nodded.

"Now," Tsunade said, lacing her fingers together and resting her chin on her knuckles. "I already know about Matsu. But I'm going to want the details on Akane before you leave."

Sakura and Kakashi both gave her identical looks that clearly said: 'That's not a good idea.'

Tsunade bit back a laugh. "I know you're dangerous," she said, pointing at Kakashi as Matsu. "I need to make sure that she is as well."

"Who will be privy to this?" he asked.

"This is for my own peace of mind. No one will know what is said in here and, as I said, I'll do my best to forget it all as soon as the two of you walk out that door."

Sakura looked at him, as though asking for guidance. He nodded. The gesture did not go unnoticed.

Tsunade spoke before Sakura could, "As far as either of you are concerned, this is the lady who … annihilated that medic. She appeared out of nowhere and left as quickly. You thought it might have all been a genjutsu. Sakura was like a clean-up crew. She witnessed what happened to the medic, healed Kakashi a bit, and took care of the thugs. But what happened to the medic was Akane's doing. Matsu bore witness to that. As far as anyone else is concerned, this meeting was called by Matsu to give Akane the opportunity to tell me what she did to the medic and also to offer to make a more binding agreement about the distribution of her poisons."

"We assumed as much, about the medic, I mean, but that doesn't explain way the condition that I got to the hospital in or that I've been under 'No Chakra' orders for two weeks."

"Kakashi believed that Sakura was his savior even though she contested it. It took Matsu and Akane coming here to convince me. You will continue staying with Kakashi to keep an eye on him. Your charts already reflect the story that we're telling now," Tsunade said, pointing to a pair of files on the corner of her desk. "Now, let's see the kimono and relieve that portion of my curiosity before we get to the more important things."

Sakura nearly laughed as she produced the neatly folded garment from her satchel. Tsunade carefully unfolded it across her desk. "Kakashi, you don't think that this might be a bit… obvious, do you?"

"I was going for ironic. You should see her in it."

Sakura smiled at him. "I thought I looked horrible in it. He made me henge in the fitting room so that I understood."

"I can picture it. I suppose it goes without saying that Matsu has formalwear?"

"Of course."

"Good. I have a feeling that the two of you will need it. Now, I want to hear Akane's story."

Sakura reassumed Akane's demeanor and looked up at the Hokage with a degree of reverence. "My story?"

Tsunade chuckled, but played along, "Yes. I want to know of your life."

"It's a rather lengthy tale."

"I have all night if need be."

"Very well, Lady Hokage-sama," said Sakura in Akane's melodic tone. "According to my mother, both of my parents were raised as shinobi. She told me that my father was a skilled ninja, but not so good that he was known internationally. Mother did not speak about what she did in battle. Not long after they married, she began training as a medic. That became her passion.

"She was a soft-hearted woman. After I was born she was called back up to fight, but she couldn't make herself do it. Her conscience was not such that she could be both a life-saver and a life-taker, so she left. She tried to get my father to see things her way, but his first loyalty lie with the village. She once told me that she left her hitai-ate with her wedding ring beside the bed.

"The village did not value her skills enough to send hunters after her. After all, what good is a shinobi who cannot kill? We lived a rather gypsy-like lifestyle. We had a large carriage and a pair of horses that, like her, had retired from a life of war. We traveled from place to place buying and selling herbs and medicinal preparations. She healed civilians from time to time, but she would have nothing to do with shinobi.

"She taught me about herbs, how to mix medicines, and how to use chakra to heal, but she did not teach me anything about how to fight. To my knowledge she never mixed a poison.

"Life went on like that until I was about twelve. I had gained knowledge of basic fighting skills and poisons from books that we had acquired, but I never spoke of it. She did not want that life for me, but I suppose you could say that it found me anyway. In that business, being a shinobi that is, people hold grudges and eventually someone with a grudge against my mother caught up to us. We were ambushed and she was seriously wounded. I couldn't heal the damage that they had done. She passed away a few days later. After that, I quickly learned that though peace is a beautiful concept; at this point in time it's also a naïve wish.

"By the time I turned thirteen I was completely alone. I didn't even know what village I was born in or my father's last name. I was left with little choice. I took up my mother's business. I began work on some new products, some with less noble applications than those of my mother. As you can well imagine, a lot of my discoveries were accidental. I made a mistake mixing my mother's hangover cure and ended up killing a violent old drunk. I was upset about it, no doubt, but I knew I had something and after some alterations to my mistake, I began making batches of what you now call Jade Dog.

"At fifteen, I created Spring Breeze, another lovely accident. I knocked myself out for over a day when I mixed the first batch. I was aiming for a simple poison. You know that I got so much more than I bargained for yet again.

"I was sixteen when I met Matsu. He was the first one to used Spring Breeze in a practical setting. We've been doing business ever since."

Tsunade smiled. "That's quite a story."

Kakashi nodded, "That's exactly what I thought."

"You mean that you're not the author of that tale?" she asked Kakashi.

"I left that to her. It's easier to remember a story that you made up yourself."

"Is it convincing enough?" Sakura interjected.

"Few things are more convincing that a medic's compassion or a mother's drive to protect," Tsunade observed with a smile.

"Alright, so I don't have to worry about your cover, but what about the two of you? Why do you travel together? I want to know that story too."

Kakashi pulled himself out of his characteristic slouch, dropped his regional accent, and after fully falling back into his role as Matsu, he began. "As she said, we met about four years ago. I was speaking with a vendor in a small village in Grass, asking after some of his darker wares. He was trying to sell me a new poison that he assured me was revolutionary. She was examining raw goods, but I could tell she was listening to the man's spiel. She let slip this almost musical laugh when he named his price. I left the booth empty handed and she pulled me around a corner and slipped a vial of purple liquid into my hand. 'Try this,' she said."

"She just gave it to you?"

"How else was I supposed to know if it was practical?" Sakura asked feigning innocence. "I needed someone to test it. I explained the properties and told him where to find me."

"If it hadn't worked, he could have killed you."

"It was a calculated risk."

"Oh?"

"I saw him as a half-blind man with a hard-to-draw sword. The power of first impressions failed me. I was deadly with senbon by then and my poisons were nothing to laugh at. I felt that I could handle myself if it came to that."

"Does that bother you?" she asked Kakashi.

"Lady, I've been this way as long as I can remember. I'm used to being underestimated. I've almost come to expect it and, truth be told, I rather like it that way."

"Of course. I'm sorry. Continue."

"It worked," he said. "What else is there to say? You know what it does. Some times your men and I end up attending the same parties, so to speak. I've seen your ANBU leaving entire buildings of incapacitated people. It's the only thing that does that. It's the single most interesting concoction that I've seen."

"He found me a few weeks later." She smiled and shook her head. "He tried to pay me."

"But she had other ideas."

Sakura's smile widened. "He taught me to use a fan, and I gave him a bottle of Jade Dog to try out."

He laughed. "I know this little lady for two months and she reduces my case of potions down to two vials and a few additives."

"But why would you need Jade Dog when you've got Spring Breeze?"

"Lady Hokage," Sakura cut in, letting all of Akane's sweetness come through in her voice. "I know you don't know all of Jade Dog's secrets. I'm willing to disclose them later, as an act of goodwill."

Tsunade looked taken aback. "I would appreciate that, but for now I'd like to know how the two of you came to be traveling together."

"We'd been doing business for a couple years. Rarely was money involved. More often he taught me jutsus or how to handle weapons. Sometimes he would bring me back hard to find ingredients. He also helped me find a man who could market my wares. The man was discerning. I believe he must have a bit of a soft spot for your village, as you are the only ones who I have heard of using it."

"You found a salesman with a conscience?"

"I found a salesman who understood that life was worth more than money," Matsu said with a slightly dangerous tone. "He knew the Leaf was a good place to market to because I am not wanted here."

"I see. But that doesn't explain how you two came to be partners."

"We're not partners," Sakura said softly.

"Oh," Tsunade replied in a suggestive tone.

"Now, Lady Tsunade, don't jump to conclusions," Kakashi warned. "It's a bit of an embarrassing story, really. I'm not as young as I was when we first met and therefore, not as fast. The job should have been simple, but I was still carrying only my odachi. I had yet to invest in a tanto. I managed to eliminate my target, but I was severely injured. She happened to be in the right place at the right time. I'm still not sure how she put me back together."

"Chakra. Lots and lots of chakra."

"I came to on a bed in her wagon some days later."

"It was nearly two weeks," she verified. "I was worried about him, as you can well imagine."

"She got me healthy again and then helped me train to regain my strength. She wouldn't let it rest until I bought myself another weapon that I could draw faster if I ended up in another fight like the one that had nearly killed me. When I was finally ready to go back to work, she asked the one favor I'd never expected… She asked to come along."

"I had spent far too many days pouring over books and lingering over ingredients. I was beginning to resent that I never actually got to see my work in action. The more he taught me of the shinobi arts, the more I wanted to be a part of it."

"And you were worried," he teased.

"Of course I was."

Tsunade smiled. "This does not seem rehearsed."

"That's because it isn't," he assured her. "We just worked through the basics of it yesterday morning."

"And your story?" Tsunade asked, turning to Sakura.

She twirled a lock of curly red hair around her finger. "I may have run through it a time or two in my head before telling him on our way into your village."

"So your role feels natural?"

"As natural as I can expect to feel in these shoes," she said in a disgruntled tone, holding up a foot.

Tsunade smiled, turning toward Kakashi. "Did I tell you what a beautiful job you did with her?"

He laughed. "You might have mentioned it, but it was a joint effort."

"Back to business. I want to discuss your pay."

"The same as always. I've used my alter egos at my discretion and taken whatever pay the mission offered."

"No," Tsunade insisted. "I want no part of what the two of you do. Any missions that I offer Akane and Matsu will be optional. The only thing that I will do for the two of you is make sure that Sakura and Kakashi are out of the country on a lower-ranking mission. For all intents and purposes, when you are Matsu and Akane, you are independent. I will only insist that you not do anything against the Leaf or our allies unless the offered mission directly calls for it. I'll also not have Spring Breeze getting into the grasp of other countries, allied or not."

"Those stipulations are all givens."

"I would hope so. Now, as far as pay is concerned: take your payments from your clients in cash and in cash only. I trust you to keep enough back after your first mission to finance your next. I have no doubts that you will be making a considerable amount more than you are now and I trust you two to not flaunt that fact."

"Of course not," Sakura assured her.

"Aren't you concerned about passing the information on the deals that you have made with us off to your successor?" Kakashi asked.

Tsunade smiled. "That's nothing you'll have to worry about for a while yet. And when the time comes, they will be passed the envelope as I was, no further explanations will be offered. You will revert to working under previous conditions unless you see fit to reveal yourselves."

"I suppose that… brat wouldn't really understand even if you told him the whole story," he allowed. "I know he's grown, but I think this would escape him."

Sakura inwardly cringed at Kakashi's reference to Naruto as a brat, but outwardly showed not reaction in an attempt to stay in character.

Tsunade on the other hand, chuckled.

"What about communication?" Kakashi asked. "I have a feeling that writing up orders for Matsu and Akane on standard mission scrolls would be less than ideal."

Tsunade smiled and produced a pair of scrolls from her desk. "I spoke with Sai's scrollier and he offered me an experimental model. It seems to work on the same basis as a summoning scroll." She offered one of the scrolls to him. "They're linked in the same way that a summoning scroll is linked to the items stored within it." She proceeded to unroll her scroll across her desk and pen a few lines. She then pressed her fingers to a set of ten swirl marks at the bottom of the scroll and let her fingers glow blue with chakra, pulsing the flow of chakra in an irregular pattern.

Instantly, the scroll that Kakashi held grew warm. He opened it to find the message that had disappeared from Tsunade's scroll.

"It will clear itself when re-rolled," she offered.

"This is a work of genius."

Tsunade nodded. "If these prototypes prove as useful as I think they will, we could be looking at the end of messenger hawks."

"What's the range?" Sakura asked.

"About the same as a summoning scroll. Really unless one of them is in Mist and the other is on the far border of Wind, there shouldn't be any issues."

"Ooh." she said appreciatively.

There was a lull in the conversation and after some time Tsunade finally spoke again, "I believe that's everything."

"You wanted to know about Jade Dog?" Sakura volunteered, transitioning her speech and posture back into that of Akane.

"Ah. Yes."

"Would you like a demonstration or just instructions?"

"It is rather late. Instructions will suffice."

"I thought you would say that," she said, pulling a folded piece of paper from her pack. "This explains all three known uses for Jade Dog and all known uses for Spring Breeze."

She took the paper but did not open it. "I'm sure this will be quite helpful. I'm going to bid you two a good evening now. Will you be staying tonight in Konoha?"

"No. We're going to put some distance between us and town before sunset."

"That is entirely up to you, I could arrange for rooms for you."

"We really must be going," Sakura insisted, standing and picking up her pack. "I do not wish to miss my opportunity to renew my stock of oleander while it is at its peak strength in the shrubby grasslands surrounding Wind."

"Ah. I see. Well then I wish you two safe travels," Tsunade said, standing to offer the odachi back to its rightful owner.

"And the best of everything to you too, Lady-Hokage," Kakashi said sincerely as he strapped the massive sword back into place on his back.

"Matsu, you take good care of her."

"Aye Lady, I will. But for the most part it is she that takes care of me"

"We shall take care of each other," Sakura assured her as she made her way through the door.

"Contact us if you need anything," Kakashi reiterated.

And then they were gone. Tsunade smiled to herself as she leaned back into her chair and kicked her feet up on the desk. Any doubts that she had carried about Kakashi's plan were erased. She felt as confident as he had sounded when he first introduced the idea to her. She only hoped that no circumstances would arise to taint that confidence.

* * *

They descended the stairs in silence and began to make their way to the gate.

"That went well, didn't it?" she finally asked.

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "Very."

"She's not going to be very happy when she reads the notes on Jade Dog."

Kakashi laughed.

"What's so funny about this?"

"She can't do anything to you because it was disclosed the first time the two of you 'met'."

"That's not what I'm worried about."

"She can't do anything to the other over it, at least not in any official capacity. She tied her own hands."

Sakura smiled Akane's demure smile, "You're right. It is funny."

They lapsed back into silence as they neared the gate.

"Leaving so soon?" Izumo inquired as they signed themselves out at the gates.

"We'd like to stay longer, but we have business elsewhere," Sakura said lightly. "This is a rather lovely village. If I didn't enjoy my travels and Matsu's company so much I would be tempted to put in an application to be allowed to settled here."

"If your situation should change our Hokage is surprisingly welcoming."

"She is a noble woman," Kakashi allowed. "Let's go, Akane. I want to cover some ground before dark."

* * *

Across town, Tsunade reached for the paper that 'Akane' had offered. She scanned it quickly and then, wide-eyed, read it again more carefully. Gritting her teeth she reached for the bottle of sake in her bottom drawer as she read it again. Perhaps by the time she recovered from the meeting she would have cause to test one of the previously unknown uses for the potion.

* * *

Once they arrived back at the training grounds, Kakashi and Sakura split up to drop their henges and change back into their normal clothes.

"Are we ready then?" Kakashi asked as soon as he spotted her.

Sakura was disheveling her pink hair with one hand and grinding a little bit of dirt into her skirt near the hip with the other. "I take it as an insult that you think you'd look that neat after a day of training with me."

He laughed, "Want to go a round."

She gave him an annoyed look.

Kakashi immediately got the message and bent down to scoop up a handful of dirt. He ground it into the right knee of his pants.

Sakura stepped toward him and messed up his hair. It was a natural move, just as her moving to dust off the hems of Matsu's pants had been earlier, as though they had helped eachother work through such measures several times. He looked up at her as the movement of her fingers slowed. Their eyes met for a moment, but she quickly looked away. "Let's get home," he insisted, trying to lighten the mood.

She nodded in agreement. "Yes, it's been a very long day."

Their walk back to the gates was silent. The same nod that they had greeted the pair of gatekeepers with on their way out of town that morning was repeated on their way back in.

Each spent the walk across the village processing their alter-ego's meeting with the Hokage.

When they finally made it back to Kakashi's house, he wordlessly took the pack from her shoulders and headed to the storeroom, where he stored her pack away before heading to the bathroom. In the meantime, Sakura went to the kitchen and started reheating leftovers for dinner.

She sat the plates on the table just as Kakashi emerged from the bath. He got them both a drink and then joined her at the table. He watched her carefully as she accepted the glass with a nod and turned back to her meal. He let the silence stretch on, knowing that she was still thinking about things.

When she finally spoke, it was not what he was expecting. "You did that the first time on a mission?"

"Yes."

She nodded. "Was it easier?"

Her silence finally made sense to him. "No, I don't think so."

"How did you…? And alone none the less?"

He smiled in understanding. "It was another time, Sakura. The alter was hardly a choice at the time, but by the same token, being Makato was more of a mental and moral strain. With Matsu being the strong, silent type, most of his challenges are physical and emotional."

She turned back to her meal. "Sometimes I wonder how anyone in your generation made it through," she said quietly.

He reached across the table to lay his hand on the one of hers that rested beside her plate. "With a little luck and a lot of faith in the younger generations."

She smiled at him, for the first time since she'd dropped Akane's persona. Nothing more needed said about the situation so they didn't speak as they finished dinner.

Kakashi took his plate to the sink before turning back to Sakura. "Will you be alright for a little?"

"Sure. Why?"

"I need to… step out for a bit."

Sakura knew him well enough to know where he was going. "I'll clean up here, go ahead."

"No, you've had a long day. I'll get these when I get back. Is Pakkun still here?"

"I haven't seen him since this morning."

Kakashi nodded and began a very familiar set of hand seals.

She made to interrupt, "You don't have…" but it was too late and the lazy-eyed pug stood in the middle of the kitchen floor.

"Yes boss?"

Sakura sighed, "He wants you to keep an eye on me while he's out."

"Is that right?"

Kakashi nodded.

"Not a problem."

He smiled his thanks to Pakkun before turning to Sakura, "I'll not be long."

"Take your time," she called after him as he headed to the closet beside the front door. He pulled out a lightweight cloak and wrapped it around his shoulders before pulling up his mask. Ask he reached for the knob; he glanced back over his shoulder to see Sakura offering a few scraps of leftovers to Pakkun.

* * *

Sakura looked up when she heard the door click shut.

Pakkun looked toward the door. "Don't worry, he'll be back."

"I know."

"He just has to talk to them sometimes. He's been doing it since he was a pup."

"I do it too," she admitted softly.

Pakkun studied her for a moment before shaking his head and walking off toward the living room. After she watched him walk off, she took her plate to the sink before retiring to the bathroom hoping that a long soak would loosen the tension of the day.

* * *

Kakashi quickly made his way to the memorial. The events of the day were racing through his mind and he ran as though it were possible to elude them.

It caught him off guard that she was such a natural and he briefly wondered how many lies she had told in her life to make it come so easy to her.

He found that he grass in front of the memorial was cool and damp with dew as he lowered himself to the ground in front of the stone. He reached out to his fallen teammates, but at first the words wouldn't come. Instead, he let his fingertips trace the names, the familiar action calming him until the words found their way to the surface.

"It was unreal, Obito. It took me weeks to accept that this was something that I could do and then longer to fully adapt to it. But her, today, less than three days after I present the idea and she'd have been able to fool me. There wasn't a flaw. She didn't make a single mistake." He took a breath and then let his mind go to where it was earlier. "I never had her pegged for a good liar. It should be a good thing for what we do, but instead it worries me. What does Sensei think of it all? I'm sure he wasn't happy when he saw me plotting it, but now that it's come together… I know there's no way to know if she can hold it together under pressure until it comes to that. Is it crazy that I don't want it come to that?" He sighed, frustrated with himself for the though. "It's the life she's chosen, Obito. One that in some small way, I helped her into in the beginning. And now, here I am, wishing she didn't have to. She's seen a lot, more than most in her generation; more than some in ours had at her age. She's already a little jaded and yet she has this way of making me feel… vindicated. There are some things that she can't fix though, and for those I'm still terribly sorry. I always will be." He lapsed back into silence again, taking a moment to trace the names of the others before returning to Obito's. "I'm going to be heading for Suna soon. I'm not sure if I'll get to come see you before I go. Supposedly someone there will have answers. I'm not so sure. I get the feeling that this is going to be more than we bargained for, but for the first time I'm not questioning whether or not I'll make it back to Konoha in one piece. I already know that I will. Maybe that's something else she's done for me." He pulled himself to his feet and patted the stone. "Take care of them, Obito," he said softly before turning back toward his house.

Kakashi wasted no time in returning home. He knew that there was nothing wrong with Sakura, but it was a excuse he found that he was willing to use for as long as possible.

Though he wasn't sure why at the time, he masked his chakra as he neared the house. Maybe it was because he wanted her to think he was giving her some space, but he equally suspected that it was because he wanted a chance to observe her from a distance. He felt a bit like a peeping tom as he jumped the fence and climbed up into the tree that stood in his own back yard.

He had expected her to have gone to bed, so he was surprised find the living room light on. The coffee table had been pushed to the side and Sakura was lying on the floor in a slightly unnatural position. He was momentarily alarmed until he saw Pakkun curled up on the couch, keeping an eye on her.

* * *

Sakura had taken her bath, but still found herself far to wired to fall asleep. That left her where she was now, moving through a set of yoga-like stretches in a semi-meditative state.

The poses all flowed together as they were meant to, but they weren't having the desired effect so she curled herself out of the last pose and pushed herself into a handstand. She rested there for a few seconds before, with the help of a small burst of chakra, pushed herself onto her fingertips.

* * *

Kakashi was slightly startled when her chakra flared, but that subsided when he watched her assume a fingertip handstand. She gracefully scissored her legs in one direction and the other before coming back to rest on her palms. She worked her hands a bit further apart and then began to do pushups with her toes still pointed at the ceiling.

He'd seen Sakura complete several unexpected feats, but Kakashi couldn't recall of ever seeing her move so gracefully. Still, he knew that if he let her continue, she'd do herself more harm than good. Because of his own experience, he recognized that she wasn't entirely recovered from her chakra exhaustion.

Silently, Kakashi dropped from the tree. He slowly unmasked his chakra as he made his way to the kitchen door. After a stop in the kitchen for a glass of water, he went to the living room.

"…thirty-seven… thirty-eight…thirty-nine…" Sakura counted under her breath.

"Stop at fifty."

"I usually do two hundred… forty-three…"

Kakashi felt his jaw drop. "Have you been training with Gai?"

"Tsunade can be almost as bad. Forty-seven… forty-eight… forty-nine…"

"Fifty," Kakashi concluded. "Here, have a drink."

Sakura slowly let her legs fall forward instead of back, bent her knees, pushed off with her hands, and stood herself up straight.

"Show off," Kakashi muttered.

She only smiled in response before she took the glass from him and sat down on the couch.

He moved the coffee table back into it's rightful place before taking a seat beside her. "You couldn't even behave yourself for half an hour, could you?"

"I just needed to unwind a bit."

He nodded. "I suppose I did too. But now, I'm beat."

"You're pushing yourself a bit hard too, you know."

"Maybe," he allowed before standing and starting to make his way to the bedroom. "Let's get some rest."

She smiled to herself. "I'll be back in a few."

 


	13. Sunday - Repreive

Sakura awoke to the sound of someone knocking on Kakashi's door. Suppressing a groan, she released her loose grip on Kakashi's hand, slipped out from between the blankets, and made her way to the door.

Looking through the small window, Sakura saw a very nervous Genin on the stoop with a small scroll in his hand.

She opened the door and was met with a shy, "Are you Sakura Haruno?"

"Yes."

"This is from Lady Tsunade," he said, offering over the scroll.

"Thank you."

"I'm supposed to wait for a response." He pointed at the scroll.

Sakura looked down at the scroll and saw what he was talking about. "Of course." She broke the orange and metallic copper seals on the scroll and read it as she walked to Kakashi's desk.

_**Rank – A** _   
_**Type – Escort/Investigation** _   
_**Destination – Sunagakaru** _   
_**Duration – 2 to 5 days + travel time** _   
_**Departure – from main gate at 8 a.m. Monday** _   
_**Details – to be given at time of departure and in-route** _   
_**Notes – As always, closed-toed boots strongly recommended for desert travel** _

Sakura thought for a moment before quickly penning her response on a small blank scroll.

_**Tsunade –** _   
_**Orders received.** _   
_**Everything is in order.** _   
_**With a little luck, I'll have him to the gate on time.** _   
_**Boots already deemed necessary after advice from Kakashi.** _   
_**–Sakura** _

After rifling through the desk drawer and finding a stick of wax, a spoon, a candle, and a metal stamp, she sealed the scroll. She took a moment to study the pattern left in the white wax as she crossed back to the door.

The Genin glanced at the seal and then looked up at her suspiciously.

"So you're one of the Genin who's being trained to replace Izumo and Kotetsu?" she asked.

"Yes," the boy said proudly.

"Good for you. My metal stamp is not here. I signed my own name to the note."

He nodded and then quickly set out Kakashi's walk.

Sakura's thoughts turned to the seals. It was an ingenious system. Nearly all Jonin and many Chunin used an identifying seal on their correspondence. The metal stamps, all of which included the village's insignia, were commissioned to the shinobi's specifications, and made by a talented local artisan. ANBU members were given a metal stamp that mimicked the design on their mask upon their induction into the ranks.

Not only did the simple wax seals identify the sender, but the color or the wax hinted at the contents. Red wax indicated a high-priority message. Yellow wax was used on mission assignments. Mission reports were sealed in green if the mission was a success and gray if it was not. Messages requiring an immedate reply bore an orange seal and replies were sealed in white. Any sort of supply request, be it from a unit in the field or from the school to a supplier were sealed in pink. Documents such as bills and invoices were sealed in shades of purple, lighter for paid bills, darker for overdue bills.

The wax could also indicate the origin of the scroll. Everything that came from the Hokage's desk was sealed with a metallic copper wax. The police force used navy, the school cobalt, the hospital light blue, and ANBU headquarters used black. Some used the seals on their personal correspondence as well, but only clear wax was permitted on those in an effort to avoid confusion.

As far as she could tell from her time working in the Hokage's office, the color-coding seemed to be universal among the shinobi nations, though each Kage used a different color of metallic wax.

She pushed the thoughts of seals away as she made her way back to bed.

Kakashi stirred as she slipped between the sheets. His one eye fluttered open lazily.

"We got our orders. Go back to sleep."

* * *

Sakura woke up a couple hours later laying face down on the mattress, hugging a pillow that was tucked halfway underneath her. Kakashi had slid her shirt up and was studying the parts of her reserve that stuck up above the waistband of her shorts. When he noticed she had awakened, he traced the exposed part of seal with a fingertip. "You promised you'd show me how to unseal it. Will you teach me now? I'd like to know before we leave."

"It's just a routine trip to Suna."

"Humor me?"

Sakura sighed, still having a bit of trouble coming to terms with Kakashi's protectiveness. "After breakfast."

He chuckled, "At this time it's going to be lunch."

* * *

After completing the rest of his deliveries, the Genin who delivered Sakura and Kakashi's orders returned to Tsunade's office. He laid the small stack of reply scrolls on the Hokage's desk and waited to be dismissed.

Tsunade granted him his leave and then rifled through the pile for the scroll from Kakashi. A white wax seal bearing Konoha's insignia surrounded by outward facing lightening bolts finally caught her eye and she broke the seal. She was mildly surprised to see Sakura's handwriting secured behind Kakashi's seal, but somehow it didn't seem amiss. She read the note quickly, smiling over the remark about Kakashi's tardiness. Briefly, she wondered what story of Kakashi's had involved traveling across the deserts of Wind, but she quickly decided that she didn't have enough time to dwell on such things. There was far too much work to do.

* * *

Kakashi placed the last dish in the drying rack and went back the hall. He found Sakura in the bedroom, smoothing the last of the wrinkles from the blankets on his bed. "Teach me?" he asked sincerely.

The way he worded request thrilled her. The reversibility of their roles was something that she immediately appreciated.

"I'm no teacher," she warned.

"I'm not either," he said somberly, more to himself than to her.

She chose to ignore his remark, "I don't know how much you need to know. I mean, you obviously know a bit about seals, but I don't know how much."

He didn't even have to wonder which seal she was talking about. "How do you know about that?"

"Do you honestly thing that with the access my job grants me that I would keep my nose out of his file?"

"I'm sorry."

"I know you did everything that you could. Some people just can't be saved. He could have been like you, but he wasn't satisfied to pass up the glory. Regardless, it's no longer relevant."

Kakashi nodded. He knew the fate of her teammate still weighed on her mind. As far as his student, he thought he understood why she avoided his name in conversation. Tsunade had made the difficult decision that the grace period, she had generously allowed for him to return of his own will, would end when he officially entered adulthood. Her decision had not set well with any of them, especially Naruto. There were no questions about exactly what she meant when Tsunade made the announcement that their former teammate was no longer a threat to the village. Even Sai had not been able to remain completely emotionless, which was almost as surprising as Sakura's steely reaction had been. He could only assume that Tsunade had given her a fair warning for the impending news and that she had taken the time to process it.

"So where do I need to start?" she asked, breaking into his reminiscing.

"How about you tell me how you managed to get it there."

"What do you mean?"

"It's in the small of your back. It just seems like you'd have had to put yourself in an awkward position to get it there."

"Oh. I… er… Well you can mold chakra in places other than your hands and feet, right?"

"Sure. In my knees and elbows, to my head, in Obito's eye, of course…"

"Right. Same concept. It sets over top of a joint."

"You mean you can mold chakra at every joint."

"I've not tried every joint. It was the first place I tried because it is where I wanted to hide the reserve."

"You used hand seals to crack the seal," he observed quietly, "but you didn't have to, did you?"

It was her turn to ask, "How did you know?"

"You weren't sure if Tsunade knew that you'd used it during a surgery. If you'd have used the hand seals, she'd know."

"Right."

"So how is it done, really?"

"Hmmm… Have a seat, I'll be right back."

He looked at her curiously as she moved toward the door, but did as she had asked and lowered himself onto the mattress.

Sakura soon returned with a plate, a towel, a very sharp knife, and a few needles from the sewing kit that he kept in the storeroom. "I suppose that the easiest way is to show you," she said as she climbed up on the bed. "What do you know about healing?"

"Just what jutsus I've copied. They're never as neat when I try them though."

"What do you mean?"

"It hurts when I have to heal myself: far worse than it does to be treated by a medic."

She nodded as she reached for the knife, "Show me."

He held out the hand, asking for the knife, but she just shook her head before unfolding the towel across her lap, laying her left arm over it, and making a small incision on the outside of her forearm with the knife.

"Are you crazy?" Kakashi asked, staring at the trickle of blood. "I told you it causes a lot more pain than just the cut."

"I'll take care of that. I need to feel how you move the chakra."

He took a deep steadying breath and began.

It didn't take Sakura long to realize the differences between their approaches. She nudged his hand aside. "What you're doing is effective, and sometimes necessary, but you're treating the application like a stapler. You'll get better results on all but the biggest wounds if you move it like and embroidery needle through silk."

Kakashi nodded but the look on his face made Sakura wonder if he really understood.

"Let me show you?" she offered, reaching for his right hand. "This is how Tsunade taught me. It'll feel a bit strange at first."

The warning was well deserved, he was caught off guard by the feeling of Sakura's chakra trickling its way under his skin. It wasn't the same feeling as her healing his wounds. Instead, her chakra was triggering his own. He watched in awe as the cut on her arm began to heal beneath his fingertips.

"Concentrate," she whispered.

He did as instructed and continued when she pulled back from his hand. A few minutes later he pulled his hand away to verify that the cut was closed up.

She drew chakra into her hand and examined the cut. She smiled and finished the healing. When she was done there was not trace that she'd been cut. "I assumed as much."

"What?"

"You'll be able to do this."

"There was a chance that I couldn't?"

"There's always a slight chance," she said with a shrug.

Kakashi had a feeling that this was not a question that he should press, so he moved on. "What's next?"

Sakura thought for a moment and then pricked her finger with one of the needles and drew a replica of the seal on the plate.

"Couldn't you have used a pen?"

"If you can heal me, you should be able to move my blood, which I charged with chakra, on the plate. If you can do that, you should be able to rearrange the cells that make up my seal."

"Should?"

"I trust you," she said sincerely.

"How exactly do I…?"

"It's just the reverse of applying one, only much slower. It'll feel like undoing the stitching motion that you used to heal my arm."

"How far can I open it?"

"No more than a third of the way."

"And If I open it further than that?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"It's not an exact science, Kakashi. As far as I know I'm the only person who uses a reserve and a seal in this way. Of course you know they say that no jutsu is unique anymore."

"I like to believe that's not entirely true."

She smiled at this. "Me too."

Kakashi looked back at the plate. "Give me a couple minutes?"

Sakura understood immediately. "Sure. I'll be in the living room."

He nodded absently as he pulled his eyes away from the plate. As soon as the door slid shut, he turned his attention back to the task at hand. It took him a moment to get past the fact that she had inked the seal in her own blood and concentrate on the seal itself.

The design was simple, the same seal that he had used in an attempt to contain Sasuke's curse mark all those years ago. He could still feel that seal forming underneath his hand. It has started at the base of his thumb and wrapped itself counter-clockwise around the boy's curse mark. He knew he no longer need as many hand seals to control his chakra enough to form such a seal, but he felt that with the control this would require it was better to err on the side of caution.

He went through the motions of the hand seals that he had used on Sasuke and when he reached the end of the series, he started through it backwards. The pattern of seals was simple, but he repeated them again in reverse, taking a deep breath to calm his nerves to for the process.

Kakashi turned to the plate again, quickly finding the point at which the seal originated and orienting the plate so that it was positioned under his thumb. He closed his eyes and took several more deep breaths, not quite sure why he was so nervous. He knew that if something should go wrong with this attempt, no harm would be done to Sakura. This was only practice, no different than passing a day with teammates at the training ground.

Finally satisfied that he was in the right state of mind to begin, he worked his way backwards through the hand seals and then applied a thin, steady stream of chakra to the seal on the plate. He watched with a sense of accomplishment as the blood on the plate slowly unraveled from the shape of the seal, starting beneath his thumb, and peeling away from it's organized design in a clockwise motion. When almost a quarter of the seal had opened, he stopped the stream of chakra and took a moment to admire his work.

* * *

Sakura looked up at Kakashi, somehow unsurprised to see that he had mastered the concept so soon. He wordlessly handed her the plate and she examined it carefully.

"Perfect," she said with a smile.

Kakashi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Come on then, I'm next," Sakura insisted.

"Shouldn't I…" Kakashi began, gesturing at the plate that she had set on his coffee table.

"No," she said, as she stood and took him by the hand.

"Just because I did it once doesn't mean that I'll be able to repeat it flawlessly. What if I do something wrong?"

"You won't."

"I might."

"Kakashi. I trust you," she reiterated as she pulled him into his bedroom and stretched out on his bed.

He tried to not read anything into the situation as he watched her settle face down onto the bed. "I'm going to walk you through this. It'll be a little different than moving blood on the plate."

"How so?"

"You'll feel a bit more resistance, like moving through water instead of air."

"Alright."

"Go ahead and crack the seal."

Kakashi drew in a deep breath and thought his way through the hand seals. He pantomimed through the series and began it a second time before Sakura lifted her head from the blankets. "Don't hesitate, Kakashi. If I need you do this you might not have an opportunity to even think about it."

Kakashi swallowed hard and nodded, feeling every bit like a student. He watched as she nestled her head back into the blankets and then he began the jutsu.

Sakura had been right in her analogy, he could feel a bit more resistance to his chakra, but he adjusted to it quickly. He concentrated on the feel of the seal opening up beneath his hand. When it opened up about a fifth of the way he withdrew his chakra and waited for further instruction.

He watched with a sort of awe as the area around Sakura seal began to glow. At first he thought that it was the chakra beginning to seep out of the reserve until the glow stopped and she said, "I told you that you could do it."

He could almost hear her smile and he felt himself grin as he realized that she'd been checking his work.

"Now you'll have to open the reserve."

His smile faded. "How does that work?"

"You'll have to use my chakra."

"What?"

"Just like I did with yours a bit ago."

"Alright?"

"Just use the same sort of motion that you would to heal and feel for it. Then you'll find what feels like scar tissue bound in place by a string of chakra at the lower point of the reserve. Just retract the string of chakra. You'll feel the change in my chakra signature."

"And this is safe?"

"So long as the boundaries of reserve isn't destroyed, I can't see a way that this can go

bad. Besides," she assured him. "I'm plenty conscious enough to know if something's wrong."

He nodded to himself. "Any suggestions?"

"Take control of my chakra a little distance from the seal. Maybe a couple vertebrate higher."

This time Kakashi didn't hesitate. He found that gaining control of her chakra wasn't as difficult as he had suspected it would be. The base of the reserve felt exactly as she had described and the thread slid out like a lace through grommets.

Kakashi was surprised at how strong the surge of chakra within the seal felt and pulled his hands away sharply.

Sakura smiled as she examined his work. "Perfect."

"And the seal will contain all of that?"

"Yes."

"What if I need to close it back up?"

Sakura shook her head. "It's tied directly into my chakra network. As you found opening isn't really that difficult because you can do it in steps, but you have to close the reserve and the seal up at pretty much the same time and it's pretty hard to feel where the reserve ends and my chakra network begins. I'm not even sure that I cold do it in someone else's body."

Kakashi watched in silence as the seal closed and her chakra signature returned to normal before asking, "What's next?"

"You tell me."

"I need to make your scroll."

Sakura nodded, understanding at once that this was not something that he was offering to teach her. Instead of arguing, she looked at the clock beside the bed. "I'll run to the market for provisions then."

Kakashi almost insisted that she couldn't go alone before he realized that she hadn't argued about wanting to know how the scroll was made. He wondered briefly if she had sensed somehow that he did not want her to be able to venture into another alter-ego without him by her side. "Take Pakkun with you."

She smiled at the unspoken understanding that had grown between them and the way that each of them conceded only enough. She nodded absently in agreement.

* * *

Kakashi left the bedroom and went to the store room. He swung Akane's pack over one shoulder and Sakura's over the other before he headed to his desk for a blank scroll, ink and brushes.

It had been several years since he had completed this process, but he knew that his desk would be too small of a work area.

Sakura dressed for her trip into town and headed for the door. She was somewhat surprised to see Kakashi already working on the scroll and made her way to the kitchen table to see what he was doing.

He glanced up at her as she studied the ink designs that he had laid down around the edges of the scroll. "In a lot of ways it works like a summoning scroll," he explained. "But instead of a fresh sacrifice of blood every time, it requires that matching samples be part of the ink that makes up the seal on the scroll and the seal on the bag. You already know that blood contains a trace of chakra, and the chakra that activates it has to match the blood on the seals."

Sakura nodded. "How much do you need?"

He slid a small glass across the table to her.

"Full?" she asked.

He nodded.

She didn't hesitate. She pulled the kunai from the bag she wore at the small of her back and made a quick slice across the palm of her left hand. She balled her hand into a loose fist to guide the blood into the glass and watched it fill as she wiped the blade on her skirt before tucking it back into her pack.

Kakashi watched as the glass filled and the stream of blood slowed to a trickle. When the glass was full he pulled her hand away and uncurled her fingers. Admittedly, he was unsurprised to see that her palm was completely healed.

She slid the glass to him.

He chuckled. "This is one of those things that a civilian would never understand," he said, pouring the blood into a bowl and then measuring out the same quantity of ink into the glass.

"No, they certainly would not. Do you want me to get anything in particular?"

He thought for a moment before pulling a wad of bills from his pocket. "I don't think there's any jerky or nuts left in Matsu's pack, and you should add some non-perishables to Akane's as well."

Sakura nodded. "What about dinner?"

"Whatever you get will be fine. This will take me a while."

"Alright."

"Do you have a plain bag that can be tied shut?"

"It's in the bottom of my pack."

"Good," he said, turning back to the scroll. "Pakkun is on the couch."

She understood that as a dismissal and went to rouse the dog.

* * *

Sakura and Pakkun wandered toward the market, conversing in a way that would have drawn attention anywhere but in a ninja village.

"I say we go to the butcher shop and get a big, thick steak," Pakkun offered. "Or maybe three."

"Or we could pick up some pork chops."

The little dog stopped in the middle of his street and cocked his head sideways in thought for a moment. "That could work."

"Kakashi needs me to pick up some things for our mission, then we'll go to the butcher shop."

"Can't we go there first?"

Sakura laughed, "Come on, lets get this done so we can get home."

* * *

The scent of her blood permeated the room in a way that he hadn't expected. It brought back flashes of memories that he hadn't yet allowed to surface.

The effect that seeing her collapse across his legs had brought on had surprised him at the time. Years of training had left him with the ability to quickly assess any situation and act accordingly, but he recognized then that his reaction this time had been on a whole new level.

Everything was slightly in a blur. He remembered finishing securing his leg in the splint that she'd started and rooting through her pack in search of an injectable painkiller that would help him tolerate the journey back to Konoha. What he had found had been better. Though he'd been warned against it several times, especially in the chakra-starved state that he was in now, he knew that the vial of soldier pills that she carried were his best bet. He wasn't foolish though, he carefully broke one of the tablets into quarters, took one and pocketed the rest. The surge in chakra production had been nearly instantaneous and the next clear memory was of Pakkun reappearing at his side as he neared the gate and the weight of Sakura's body draped heavily across his shoulder. Though he didn't recall the exact words, he remembered that the little dog had expressed his concern and that he'd sent the pug ahead to find the Hokage. Radio and Kotetsu had nearly jumped over the front of their booth in their attempt to come to their aid, but he remembered rushing past them, refusing to hand Sakura over to anyone who couldn't actually heal her.

Kakashi pulled himself back to the present by pouring the measure of ink into the bowl, which effectively dampened the power of the smell. Still, now that the sequence had surfaced, he could remember the look of horror on Tsunade's face when she met him at the front door of the hospital with a gurney. She had tugged the senbon from Sakura's shoulder, handed them to a low-ranking medic and barked out an order that included rushing the results through the lab. She had then lifted Sakura's weak form from his shoulder and laid her gently across the stretcher before snapping at the rest of the medics to get her into a room. He recalled his attempt to follow the small contingent of white-clad people who surrounded the stretcher as it raced down the hall only to be pushed out of the door of the ICU suite by Tsunade herself. He had stood angrily at the door for a few long moments before one of the medics emerged from the room and explained that they had to treat him as well.

As he stirred the ink and the blood together, he thought back on his reaction and wondered how he had avoided an in-depth evaluation from the psychology department. In retrospect, even he wondered if he might have been on the brink of madness. He finally forced himself to shake off that train of thought and set back to work on the scroll. He pulled a vial from his pocket, poured a few drops of the purple liquid into the ink and blood, stirred it once more, dipped his brush into the mixture of blood and ink and began painting at the center of the seal.

* * *

Sakura stepped out of the butcher shop and picked up the bags that she had left outside the door for Pakkun to stand guard over.

"Did you get the chops?"

"You think about food nearly as much as Naruto."

"Does that mean that you're going to make us eat ramen tonight?"

She laughed as she pulled a butcher paper wrapped package out of the bag. "No ramen tonight, I promise."

"Good. I really don't like that stuff. Kakashi brings some home once in a while when Naruto drags him to Ichiraku. I let the others have mine."

"I doubt that you'll be wanting to share tonight. Let's get back home before he starts to worry."

* * *

He felt her chakra approaching and stood from his work to open the door. Pakkun darted through first, and headed to the couch, muttering something about pork. Sakura followed, juggling several paper bags. Kakashi took two from her and set them on the kitchen counter.

"Maybe you should have taken Bull. He's would have helped you carry them."

"He would have eaten what was in them."

"And the bags too, but that's beside the point."

"How are things coming?" she asked, nodding toward the table.

"I'm about halfway done. I forgot how detailed these seals have to be."

"I'll start dinner then."

* * *

The rice was simmering and the vegetables were sizzling in the wok around the pork chops. She had done the dishes and wiped down the counters. Kakashi's refrigerator had even been cleaned out so that there wouldn't be any rancid leftovers to contend with when they returned from Suna. Sakura had belatedly thought of her own apartment and the condition that her refrigerator had to be in as she cleaned out his, but chose to not dwell on the idea. What would another week really hurt at this point.

With nothing left to do. She turned and rested against the cabinets, watching as Kakashi worked. Sakura was almost surprised by how intricate the seal was. What at first appeared to be a simple spiral at the center of the scroll actually held patterns and detailing and a repeating string of nonsensical words, which she assumed must hold a purpose. Eight squares, all roughly the size of her hand, surrounded the spiral, lying just tangent to it. The three across the bottom of the scroll had been filled by simpler seals, all of which had a star-burst pattern. The square furthest to the left held a star-burst with a spiral at its center, the middle box contained something that closely resembled a glowing knot, and the left hand one showed a star within a vial.

Beside the scroll lay her pack and Akane's pack. Both of them were laying at an angle that allowed her to see the edge of the seal that he had painted into the interior of the pack. She turned her attention to the plain drawstring sack in that lay in front of Kakashi on the table. In one corner of the bag, he had inked the negative image of the seal on the scroll. Seven of the eight adjacent squares had been darkened completely, but the one in the same position that contained the glowing knot on the scroll was left as just a outline.

Though she didn't recognize the seal itself or know exactly how it worked, she could already see the genius in it. She narrowed her eyes as she took in the tiny movements that the brush made and watched the steady movements of Kakashi's hand. Slowly her gaze shifted to his face. His features were relaxed into a mask of perfect concentration. His eyes followed every stroke of the brush as he filled in the details of the seal.

"Those vegetables are going to burn, you know," he said lazily.

Sakura had been wrapped up in her observations and jumped at the sound of his voice.

He chuckled, never taking his eyes from his work.

"Sorry," she said, moved back to the stove and stirred the vegetables in the wok.

"It's alright. I'm all but done here and it smells like dinner is too."

* * *

After their meal, Sakura pushed her plate off the side and turned to study the scroll and the seals on her bags.

"I know the seal itself is complicated, but using it is rather simple," Kakashi offered.

"Show me?"

"I can't."

"What?"

"The bags are too close."

"I don't understand."

"There has to be more distance. You have to make sure make sure that there was at least a couple kilometers between the scroll and the incoming pack when attempting a switch."

"I wonder why?"

"I don't know. I just know that it's not pretty. I'll show you hand seals when the time comes. You'll just go through the activation seals and then lay your left hand on square that corresponds to the bag that you're sending out and your right on the one for the one you need. You channel the chakra you release through your left hand and into the center of the seal and then pull it back to your right hand."

"That sounds simple enough."

"It took me months to perfect it."

Sakura smiled. "It's yours?"

Kakashi shrugged. "I realized that it was too risky to carry my things simply sealed into scrolls. It's far to easy to gain access to them."

She nodded. "Unless someone can hijack your chakra... and then it still doesn't operate like normal scroll. What happens if you don't apply the chakra right?"

Kakashi looked up at her guiltily. "What do you mean?"

"I know you, Kakashi."

"It's not too bad."

"Meaning?"

"You'll still have both hands."

"But?"

"But you won't be picking anything up for a while."

"Am I always going to have drag details out of you like this?"

"Chemical burns. I wasn't able to exact the scrolls until after you invented Spring Breeze." He paused in thought for a moment before he continued. "You know," Kakashi mused aloud, "we're going to make a great team."

Sakura considered the implications for having Kakashi for a partner for a long moment. Do you really think so?"

"Our skill-sets are complementary, our fighting styles compatible; I don't see why we should have any problems at all. The ink should be dry by now. Go ahead and pack, I'll get this cleaned up."

"I can help. You have to pack too."

He shook his head. "I've always got a bag ready. I've just got to check it over. I had to empty yours to put the seals on. I'm afraid your things and Akane's might be a bit mixed up. The drawstring bag should stay on your person. It comes in handy from time to time."

"One thing I do need to know, where do the bags go when you send them out? Do they just switch places?"

"Incoming packs can come from anywhere. Outgoing packs always end up the same place."

"Where's that?"

"Under the stairs in my basement."

"Why there?"

"Because that's where the corresponding portal seal is," he seemed to falter for a moment. "If you wish I guess I could create one for you elsewhere and remake your scroll. I just know that my home is as secure as is possible, so I went ahead and linked your scroll to mine."

"That's fine."

"It was a bit presumptuous."

"Kakashi, you worry too much. I just wanted to make sure of what would happen if I sent the bag out. Can I just send the bag out?"

"What do you mean?"

"If I have something sensitive that needs to get back to Konoha, can I just send the bag back without receiving another one?"

A flash of pride crossed his features. "You just leave off the last hand seal and only touch the scroll with you left hand."

"But I can't pull something in, right? There always has to be a sacrifice to receive?"

"Exactly. Now go on, your stuff's a mess all over the bed right now and I for one would like some sleep tonight."

"Alright," she agreed, standing to leave the table.

"Don't forget to put that white dressing gown in the pack you're taking," he called back the hall after her.

"I'm never going to need it so soon," she called back.

"You don't want to be stuck naked, in the middle of nowhere waiting on your other pack to arrive. Trust me."

* * *

Sakura had just finished sorting the things that went into her pack from the ones that went into Akane's when Kakashi slipped into the room. He grabbed a pair of pants to put on after his shower and started back across the hall.

"Should some of Akane's things be in scrolls?"

"What?" he asked, popping his head back in the bedroom door.

"I keep some of my clothes and so on in scrolls so I don't have to carry so much weight. If I'm traveling somewhere really wet, I'll even seal my bedroll in a scroll so it's not soggy. What about Akane's things?"

"Toss some blank scrolls in in there. If you go tucking things away now your pack will look empty. Besides, you'll need a place to put things that you pick up along the way. "

"Alright," she said and quickly returned to filling her packs.

Sakura was just sliding the last of her scrolls into her pack when she heard Kakashi turn the shower off. She fastened the buckles on both the packs and set hers on the floor beside the bedroom door. Once her medic's pouch and gloves were laid on top of hers, she picked up Akane's pack.

Kakashi left the bathroom just as she stepped out of the bedroom. "Just put it on the shelf beside Matsu's," he said in response to the question that she hadn't yet asked. He continued into the bedroom where he began sorting his laundry.

It was the habit of most shinobi to leave their property in the best condition possible when going on a mission of any significant length. It wasn't really a paranoia-driven habit, but something done out of respect. The simple fact that there is always a the possibility of not coming home from a mission was impressed upon every shinobi from an early age. Even academy students knew that one of the responsibilities of being a shinobi was keeping your affairs in order and your debts paid, so that you would not be a burden to your family or your village if the worst happened.

Sakura came back into the room and disappeared just as quickly with a change of clothes. When she reappeared moments later, she motioned toward the mesh bag that Kakashi had filled, "Do you drop yours off on the way out of town or as soon as you get back?"

"On the way out," he said, sliding into bed.

"Good, then I won't be taking you out of you way."

He smiled. It was an odd point to judge a person on, but few shinobi bothered to have their laundry done before a mission, after all, what good were clean close if you didn't make it home to wear them. Her confidence settled him somehow.

Sakura bagged her clothes, oblivious to Kakashi's scrutiny. "I used to not do it until I got home, but when I get home all I want is a long hot bath and a little rest before I have to start the paperwork. So now I drop it off on the way out, pick it up as soon soon as I get back, then go straight to the hot springs." She chuckled to herself, "I usually seal the clean clothes in an empty scroll, put whatever I dirtied while away in the bag, and take it right back to the laundry."

"Sounds efficient to me."

"Ino says it's something like cheating.. That a kunoichi should do her own laundry."

"She's a different sort of shinobi than you are."

Sakura frowned, "She sees more time outside of the village than I do."

"She also carries a scroll of beauty products in her pack at all times."

Her frown turned into a laugh. "How do you know about that?"

"Genma talks. It bothers you, doesn't it?"

"What?"

"Not getting many missions."

"I guess not," she replied with a shrug. "Tsunade obviously needs me at the hospital more."

He was surprised by her naivety with the situation. "Akane will change that."

"I hope so," she said with a grin as she set the alarm clock before circling around to the other side of the bed an climbing in.

"Do the others judge you for being less active in missions than they are?" Kakashi pressed.

"They're usually very greatful to see me when they end up in the hospital. Kiba once told me that he was awfully glad that I didn't usually stray too far from home. It was just after his sister had gotten a bit too rough with him durrning a training session."

"Hana can be a real spitfire."

"So I saw. This is ridiculous. I'm not even a little tired."

"Me either."

"I'm afraid I too excited to sleep."

"Excited?"

"Well, anxious."

"Yeah," he echoed, "anxious."

"But we can't be late in the morning. Not when we're meeting Tsunade."

"I suppose you're right," he said, rolling onto his side so that he was facing her and gently sliding his arm under her pillow. In turn she curled her hand around the edge of her pillow, so that the backs of her fingers rested against the inside of his elbow. The last thing that passed through his mind before falling asleep were questions about how he would ever manage to sleep without this sort of contact.

 


	14. Monday - Departure

Kakashi was discretely studying the woman curled up against his side when the serenity was split by his alarm. He feigned sleep and Sakura lazily reached across him to stop the racket.

"C'mon Kakashi," she said, gently pushing against his shoulder to rouse him, "you go. I'll get a shower and have breakfast ready when you get back."

"What?"

"You go see them before every mission and as soon as you can after you get back. I didn't think you'd want to break that tradition. That's why I set your alarm early."

He could feel yet another part of himself being exposed to her. "How long have you known about that," he asked.

"You're not the only one who does that before they head out," she admitted softly. "I just always made it there before you and left when I felt you coming near. And I always waited until you were gone to stop by after we returned."

That this was something that they had in common shouldn't have surprised him but it did nonetheless. The words were out of his mouth before he even gave them a thought. "Come with me?"

"What?"

"I just…" he scrambled to justify his request, "… it's nothing anyone should have to do alone."

She studied him for a long moment. "Are you sure?"

Kakashi didn't trust himself to speak, so he simply nodded.

The atmosphere in the room was heavy, as Sakura waited for more of a response than his nod. When it became apparent that he wasn't going to say any more on the subject, Sakura broke the silence by asking, "Do you want to go back to sleep for a little while I get my shower then?"

"No, I'm awake and I need to check over my pack."

* * *

Less than an hour later Kakashi and Sakura were on their way out the door. The walk across town was oddly quiet. Kakashi was bracing himself. He had promised to open himself up to her and he was not going to let her down. He would act as though she wasn't even there.

As they neared the memorial, despite his best efforts, Kakashi felt himself hesitate. For a moment, he questioned what had made him ask Sakura to come along. This was something personal and while he had promised to try to be open it suddenly felt like too much too soon.

Sakura noticed Kakashi's apprehension, but she chose to not draw attention to it. Instead, she began her visit as she always did.

Kakashi watched Sakura intently as she dropped her pack and laundry bag at the edge of the clearing and bowed to the memorial before approaching it. When she reached the stone, she bowed again before settling to her knees and then sitting back on her heels.

The words that she spoke shouldn't have caught him off guard, but he was surprised nonetheless.

"Good morning Father," Sakura began. "I'm headed to Sunagakaru this time. There's nothing to worry about this trip. I'm traveling with Lady Tsunade and Kakashi. We're going to find out exactly what happened with me two weeks ago. I've felt you keeping an eye on me. I know you've watched over me almost as closely as Kakashi has. Thank you." She didn't touch the stone until she had finished, and then she simply ran her fingers across his name in a single loving caress. Then she pulled her hand away and studied the names listed near her father's.

Kakashi no longer felt uncomfortable with her being there and he had shed his bags and begun to move forward to speak to Obito when she began to speak again.

"You…" Sakura's voice faltered and she slowly traced a name just a few below her father's. Kakashi watched with something akin to awe as Rin's name was revealed beneath her trembling fingertips. "You don't know me… And I never knew you… but thank you… for both of them."

She stood abruptly, bowed again, and then turned on her heel. She swiped a tear from her eye before she spoke. "I'll give you a little privacy," she said before walking past him toward the edge of the clearing.

Her words had left him feeling as though all the wind had been knocked out of him. It took him a moment to find his voice. "Stay," he choked out.

Sakura stopped in her tracks and studied him for a moment before nodding. She closed half the distance between herself and Kakashi and then lowered herself to the ground, kneeling with her hands folded politely in her lap. She spared him a slight smile before bowing her head meditatively, giving him the welcomed illusion of privacy.

Kakashi approached the stone and traced Obito's name, as he always did. "There is a certain irony to it, isn't there?" he whispered. "I'm sorry. After everything that's happened, I probably don't have a right to see it that way. We're going to Suna. I don't know for how long, but I told you this the other night. I hadn't planned on getting the opportunity to come by this morning, but she insisted. I told you that she was really something, but I suppose you knew that already. He paused, pulling himself to his feet before running his hand across the top of the stone. I'll see you in a few days, old friend."

Kakashi turned back to Sakura, hoping that the awkwardness that he expected would somehow fail to set in. He was surprised at the way that she looked at him. There was no pity hidden in her eyes, just a deep understanding. She did not wait for him to speak, simply stood, shouldered her pack and hand him his.

"Breakfast after we drop our laundry off?" she inquired as they stepped out of the clearing.

"Melon pan and fruit from the market?" he asked, somewhat astounded by how relaxed he was after what had, at the time, felt like laying his soul bare before her.

"That will do."

"We should even have time to stop somewhere and eat before we have to meet Tsunade." He felt her hesitate beside him. "I am capable of being punctual, Sakura."

"I've never seen it," she scoffed.

"Then this will be a first for you."

* * *

Tsunade approached the main gate at quarter after eight. She wasn't expecting Kakashi until at least nine, so when she found him and Sakura leaning against the wall to the left of the gate, she was surprised.

Sakura smiled and tossed Tsunade and an apple.

"If I'd have know that you'd have such a good influence on him, I wouldn't have put Naruto on retrieval duty."

"Maybe," Kakashi cut in before the two women could get to far out of hand, "it's that I've finally gotten an assignment that I feel good about more than the indirect results of. Let's get going."

"We're going to do this is a standard crossing. Plan two thirty-one."

"So just this side of the border and then the caves?"

"Yes."

"Do you think that's wise?" he asked, eying Sakura.

"She'll be fine."

"I'll be fine with what?" Sakura asked, tired of watching the volley of the conversation that didn't include her.

"The crossing. The middle leg is rather..." Kakashi explained.

Sakura cut him off, "I know you're not implying that I can't handle a trip to Suna."

"Well…"

"Kakashi…" she began warningly.

"You're right. We're burning daylight."

She smiled. "Lead on."

They stepped through the gate and made their way down the road. Tsunade set the pace, which, while not leisurely, allowed Sakura to enjoy the scenery.

Once they left the road, they took to the treetops for a while. Autumn's colors were at their peak and the forest glowed in hues of red, orange, and yellow. She mused that, though this seasonal display was not the reason for the name, it suited the Fire Country well.

Just over three hours into their journey, Tsunade gave the signal for a break.

"We're making good time," Kakashi observed as they touched down onto solid ground beside a small stream.

"Yes, we should be able to make camp before dark," Tsunade agreed.

Sakura drained her canteen and filled it in the stream, just taking a moment to relax and take in the scenery while she let the voices of her companions fade into the background.

"I should have said something before, but I took the liberty of preparing for tonight's dinner. I trust you two have enough rations to see you the rest of the way."

"Of course," Kakashi replied, watching Sakura out of the corner of his eye. "We treated this like any other mission with any other partner to complete the three-man team."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but the truth is that I'm not built to live off of camp rations anymore."

That drew a chuckle from Kakashi.

"And I know," Tsunade continued in a lower voice, "that this is probably the most emotionally invested that you've been in a mission in years. I'd almost understand if you were less than prepared."

"I wouldn't take that risk."

"It's good to know that your judgment isn't completely clouded."

Kakashi was saved from having to respond by Sakura rejoining them. "Are we about ready then?"

Kakashi was almost surprised by her drive to push on, but he knew he shouldn't have been. He had witnessed this in her since she was a genin, the way she forced herself beyond her limits. Tsunade, he reasoned, had obviously seen it too and would declare that they would rest just a little longer, but instead the Hokage simply stood and brushed off her pants.

"Yes, it's about time we get moving again," she declared.

Kakashi watched, a bit dumbfounded by her response, as she made her way back into the branches. He stood still for a moment as Sakura reshouldered her pack and followed after Tsunade.

"We don't have all day," Tsunade called after him. "Are you going to bring up the rear or are we picking you up here when we get back?"

There was no missing the implication of the quick nod Tsunade sent in Sakura's direction. "Right behind you," he yelled as he picked up his pack.

Kakashi fell into line behind Sakura with ease. It was obvious to him that Tsunade had also picked up on the fact that Sakura had not completely recovered her stamina. He pushed up his hitai-ate and trained the Sharingan on her movements as she lept from limb to limb.

The past few days worth of exercises and training had brought to light just how graceful she could be, but he was almost surprised to see the subtle grace with which she carried herself when she had no reason to believe she was being watched. He could feel the slight pulse of chakra that came every time she pushed off from a branch and yet not a leaf trembled in her wake. She kept her eyes forward, following Tsunade's path but not necessarily her footfalls, she seemed to think several branches ahead in selecting the path of least resistance. Unlike many of the others in her generation, she did not give into the urge to let her arms trail behind her to lessen wind resistance, instead she traveled with her arms at her sides, in the same way that he did, keeping her hands near her weapons. He'd seen other kunoichi take this stance and somehow it had always looked paranoid before, as though they were hyper-alert and expecting an attack at any moment. Sakura looked almost poised, vigilant and aware but by no means edgy or anxious. Instead of her eyes darting left and right, chasing every noise, she scanned methodically, barely turning her head. It occurred to him that she had a great presence of mind. She was of the sort that would never accidentally injure a comrade. She was calm, cool, and calculating: like him in more ways than he was comfortable admitting.

Their similarities still caught him off guard despite the amount of time he'd spent mulling over them since she'd come to his aid. But there was something else, something that he'd been trying to suppress for the time being for the sake of the current mission, that was slowly working its way to the forefront of his thoughts about her. She was beautiful. Not in the traditional way by far, but in and almost dangerous way. The past few years had been good to her physically, but she had trained hard during that time as well. Most kunoichi were content to sacrifice muscle tone and strength for the sake of their appearance, but that seemed to be something that hadn't crossed Sakura's mind. The only thing that even hinted that she might have any regard for her appearance was her long hair, which she kept bound tightly in an intricate, five-stranded braid. But it was more than the outward, it was becoming increasingly difficult for him to deny that most of his ever-growing attraction was based on the way that she handled herself, and in part the way she seemed to handle him as well.

He allowed himself to think back on their moments at the memorial stone. He felt almost as thought the wind has been knocked out of him all over again when his mind replayed her words, 'Thank you... for both of them.' Somehow she had found a deep connection to one of the only other women that he had ever been even slightly open with. Rin had known much about him, but not as much as Tsunade, and most definitely not as much as Sakura. She had been his caretaker and he had sworn to do what he could to protect her. For a brief moment, the parallels that people had drawn between Rin and Sakura looked almost justifiable. Almost.

In retrospect, Rin had been sweet, in much the same way that Hinata was. She had been, for the most part, an innocent in a time of great upheaval. Her medic training had kept her from seeing much of the carnage of the early days of the war. In later years he was surprised at how well she had kept her composure during their last mission as a team. She had none of Sakura's brash nature. None of her utter lack of hesitancy. Rin was the sort of kunoichi that would have spent enough time serving Konoha to meet the approval of the long line of shinobi who had come before her, and then settle down to raise a family with a civilian or a shinobi who never intended to be promoted further than chunin. The dissimilarities went on and on and yet Sakura had managed to take the one commonality that they shared to heart.

His mind turned away from the past and back to the present. His footfalls remained sure, but he could detect a slight loosening of Sakura's posture. She may have not even known that she was getting tired yet, but subtle changes did not hide from Obito's Sharingan.

"How about taking ten for a drink?" he called.

"I was just about to suggest that," Tsunade admitted, coming to rest on a particularly wide branch.

"Already?" Sakura half-whined as she landed beside her mentor.

"Take the breaks while you can get them," Kakashi advised as he joined them. "There won't be nearly as many on the next leg."

"Alright," she allowed, taking a seat on the branch and pulling out her canteen.

"We're not far from tonight's destination," Tsunade allowed. "Another two hours or so should see us there."

* * *

That night they set up camp just inside Fire's borders not long before the sun had set.

"Not much sense in pitching tents tonight," Kakashi observed. "The weather's going to stay clear for the whole of our stay here."

"Right. We're going to have a bit of a lay-in tomorrow and then make the crossing to the caves in one long leg, if you two are feeling up to it," Tsunade said as she lowered herself to sit on her bedroll near the fire.

"Right," Kakashi agreed. Noting Sakura's confusion he elaborated. "If we leave here around noon, we can travel hard so we spend the minimum amount of time in River and cross the open parts of the desert, the hottest part of the journey, in the dead of night and early morning when it's relatively cool. We'll reach the caves in the cliffs just this side of Suna before noon, take a break in their shade during the hottest part of the day, and then continue on. That way we'll reach Suna around sunset."

She nodded. "That sounds a lot better than the way we made my first trip to Suna."

Tsunade looked at her curiously.

"Soldier pills and a little over two days at a dead run," she explained.

"Ah. When Gaara was taken."

"Yes," Kakashi verified. "That was a rather  _ long _ mission."

"You're just saying that because Gai carried you piggyback part of the way home."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "That was not in the reports."

"That's because he told us we would have to train with Gai and Lee if we included that part."

"The threat of one hundred laps around the village can be very convincing," Kakashi observed.

Sakura laughed, "When have they ever stopped at one hundred?"

After sharing a good laugh over this, Kakashi turned to Tsunade, "So what's this about dinner?"

"Ah yes," She said, retrieving a scroll from her pack. "This was a gift from the Amichi's some time ago. I've never really had the opportunity to use it outside of the city and since we seem to have forgone lunch, I believe it it will do nicely tonight." She unrolled the scroll across the ground.

"It looks like a menu," Sakura observed.

Kakashi laughed and peered over her Tsunade's shoulder. "To the barbeque?"

"They gave me one for Ichiraku too, but I feel like barbeque tonight."

"I'm not entirely sure that I understand," Sakura admitted.

"It's a short range jutsu. It only really works withing the country. You just write down your order on a scrap of paper, lay that and the money on the menu and then send it out." Tsunade explained as she went through the motions. "I trust pork will be okay with the two of you?"

"Of course."

Kakashi sat back and nodded dumbly. "I thought they were all civilians."

"They are. The scroll was Choza's invention, thought I'm inclined to think there might be a touch of Shikaku's talents mixed in. Supposedly it retains enough of the chakra that you use to send the order out with to bring your food back to you."

"Why aren't these standard issue?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"Logistics?" Kakashi guessed.

"Exactly. The restaurant couldn't support all of the additional business that it would bring."

"Have you considered institutionalizing the idea?" Kakashi asked.

Tsunade smiled. "I have but the sad reality is that the funds are not there. Besides, wouldn't it be the perfect first project for Naruto to take on when he becomes Hokage?"

"That's just what we need, all of the leaf shinobi on a strict field diet of ramen," Sakura laughed. "I can just imagine the medical repercussions of that."

"You might have a point there. Perhaps we'll be keeping this just between us," Tsunade said with a conspiratorial grin.

"Agreed," Kakashi said adamantly.

Their dinner appeared as the sun set and they ate in silence.

"I'll take first watch," Sakura volunteered, as she tossed her take-out container in the fire.

"You need your rest," Kakashi insisted.

"Actually," Tsunade cut in, "that won't be necessary tonight."

"Why not?"

"I'm the Hokage. Do you really think that I can escape my own ANBU while still inside the country?"

"I can't sense them."

"They're under orders to be discrete. I like to at least feel like I'm alone sometimes."

"It must be so frustrating," Sakura observed.

"I'm working on rewriting that stipulation. I already know how my prospective successor will handle it. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to turn in for the night," Tsunade said, as she picked up her bedroll and moved to the other side of the fire where she unrolled it and slid in.

"More tea?" Sakura asked, motioning toward the pot that hung over the fire.

"Might as well," Kakashi allowed. "It's still a bit early for me."

Sakura nodded and refilled the pot. "Its been a long time since I've actually been away from the village overnight. Probably almost a year."

"Sometimes I wish I could say the same. This morning marked the end of the longest stretch that I've spent in the village since I was your teacher."

"Really?"

Kakashi nodded.

"You ought to think about slowing down a bit."

"I've never really had a reason to," Kakashi said slowly. "There's never been anyone insisting that I'm back for anything in particular. When I was more active in ANBU I was gone for almost a whole year at one point."

"That's madness."

"I was a bit out of my mind for some of that time." He shot a glance toward Tsunade's turned back before pulling his mask down to drink. "They kept passing me from one team to another in the field, sending my reports back by courier or hawk in between. Solo missions fell in between full-scale team operations. I became Matsu that year; made direct crossings between Water and Wind five times and between Lighting and River at least three. I was offered retirement when I finally returned, I'd filled the mission quota required for it."

"But you refused."

"I couldn't fathom the simple life at that point. A house? A wife? A family? No more missions? No more actively protecting my home? I couldn't wrap my mind around it. I still can't entirely. I did refuse, but they wouldn't let me carry on."

"What did they do?"

"A full battery of tests, both physical and psychiatric, and once I cleared them all they still cut me back on field work. For the next two years I was home almost as much as I was in the field. It was frustrating. I felt like I was doing nothing. I told the third as much."

"I'll bet that went well."

Kakashi smiled, "It did."

"Really?"

"He offered me the choice between retirement and the most stressful mission I'd ever take on. Those were his words, not mine."

"And you took the mission."

"Of course. I took it without hesitation. He gave me this knowing smile and handed me a slip of paper with a location and a time. I thought I'd be meeting my team for a briefing. I should have known better just based on that smile he gave me. When I got there I was met by Iruka, a stack of books, a stack of paperwork, and three genin files."

Sakura snickered. "I'd heard that the third had a sense of humor."

"Nothing that I'd learned in ANBU prepared me for the three of you, and no matter how many Crisis Crossings you do from Water to Wind, nothing prepares you for trying to keep up with Naruto."

"You said Crisis Crossing, I assume that's some sort of code as well?"

"Tsunade kept you away from ANBU matters while you were working in the offices, didn't she?"

"As much as she possibly could, I think," Sakura confirmed. "I sort of feel like I'm asking about

something I should already know, but how does this work from here on out? I know what you said when we first stopped. I just don't get how it relates to 'two thirty-one'."

"You probably should know," Kakashi agreed, casting a disapproving look in the direction of Tsunade's bedroll, "but it's no fault of your own." He bent forward and sketched a rough map in the dirt between them.

"We're here," she volunteered, as she knelt beside him and dropped a pebble on his map at a point along the Fire Country's border that allowed for the shortest, direct line route across River and on to Wind.

"Right," he said, sketching in some hills around the rock that represented Suna. "Obviously, the shortest distance between Konoha and Suna is this route," he said, drawing a straight line between the two cities. "It's also the fastest."

"That's how we got to Suna last time," she observed as Kakashi began to draw a line to connect Konoha to their campsite and another to connect their campsite to Suna.

"This is the second most popular route. It's considered to be the safest."

"Because we're minimizing travel outside of Fire?"

"Right. This is the point on the border with the shortest distance to Suna."

"So why 'two-thirty-one'?"

"It's the ANBU's shorthand. The first number is always either 'one' for the direct route, or 'two' for the safer route. The second number is the number of legs that the journey is made in. The third is the number of rest stops outside of Fire."

"So the last time I went would have been one-ten?"

"They actually call it an 'Eleven-X Crossing', or sometimes just a 'Crisis Crossing'. The 'X' implies that sleep is chemically compensated for or that you won't get any at all. Sometimes orders come with 'X-one-X' marked for the crossing."

"I thought you said that they always started with a 'one' or a 'two'."

"In that case it's also called an 'Indirect Crisis Crossing'. If, for example, we would have had to approach Suna from the north when Gaara was taken," he said as he drew in another line.

"Alright. You said that we'd be resting in the caves?"

"There's a small system of caves in this area," he said, pointing to the hills he'd drawn. "With a two-thirty-one crossing you stay on the border late, usually leave around noon, then you make a mad dash across River. It takes about twelve hours of hard traveling, but everyone knows that it's best to spend as little time in River as possible. That puts you into Wind right around midnight. You don't want to cross the desert in the middle of the day, so you try to reach the caves before noon. Two in the afternoon is the hottest part of the day, so you wait out the heat in the caves and try to recuperate from the long leg of the trip."

Sakura nodded. "When you said caves this morning, I assumed you meant the ones in River. I'm guessing the ones you're talking about aren't very far from Suna?"

"A few hours at a nice slow walk."

"But I suppose we've got a lot of ground to cover before we can even think about those caves."

Kakashi nodded.

"Then I suppose I'd better at least try to rest,"

"It couldn't hurt," he agreed.

Sakura unrolled her bedroll and sat down on it to pull off her boots before she slipped inside.

Kakashi hesitated for a moment before positioning his bedroll so there was just enough room to walk between his head and Sakura's. He laid back on his opened bedroll with his hands folded across his stomach and waited quietly for sleep to take him.

He didn't move to look at her when he heard Sakura roll over, trying to get comfortable. Several minutes later, just as his eyes had stared to feel heavy, he heard her heave a frustrated sigh before turning over again. There was no forethought when he began to speak.

"I remember my first trip to Suna over this route," he began as he pulled the blanket across himself. "Well, not to Suna really, just to the border of Wind. I think I was eight at the time, maybe nine. We still weren't on such good terms with Suna at the time. The team was tasked with delivering a few non shinobi dignitaries across most of Fire and to the border with Wind where they would be escorted on by a team of Sand Shinobi. At the time there was much unrest and the client's homeland decided the best way to see that they made it through an area unscathed was to hire locally. Everyone knew, in those days, that one misstep could bring war, so if you put yourself in the hands of the people who would potentially do you harm, nothing would befall you least it be the last straw in already tense relations. It might not make sense now, but looking back, very little did then. Regardless, it worked."

Sakura listened in silence, relaxing with the soft tone of Kakashi's voice. In some ways she felt that he was treating her like a small child who needed a bedtime story. The thought of protesting crossed her mind briefly, but she realized that she was too interested in what he was saying to care if it made her feel a bit juvenile.

"We camped about an hours walk further into the country. Everything was tense and there was no sense in risking making ourselves an easy target. Besides, you know what it's like traveling with civilians..."

* * *

On the other side of the remnants of their campfire, Tsunade had awakened unnoticed. She strained to hear the story that was spoken in such a hushed tone that it could have only been meant for Sakura. It was endearing, but somehow fell far short of seeming parental. What surprised her most though was the steady flow of words from one of her most stoic shinobi. She wished she could turn to look upon the scene at her back without attracting attention.

Kakashi's story was just starting to get exciting when she felt the shift in Sakura's chakra that signaled sleep. Kakashi stopped the story abruptly, mid sentence, as though afraid more words would cause her to wake. Again, Tsunade felt cheated somehow as she heard what she could only assume was Kakashi rearranging his blankets for a more comfortable night's sleep. She wouldn't have heard him whisper, "Goodnight, Sakura," if she hadn't been paying such close attention.

She laid there for a few long minutes, thinking that he must have fallen asleep without her noticing when he spoke again. "Nothing more to see here tonight Tsunade. Best get some rest."


	15. Tuesday - Journey

The sun rose over the border of Fire Country, but for the most part it went unnoticed.

Two ANBU sat perched in a tree about one hundred meters from the campsite. One man had short red hair and had been issued a mask that resemble a bear. The younger of the two was a slight-built man with dark blonde hair that brushed his collar and a mask that looked like a squirrel. They spoke in hushed tones over a light breakfast.

"Have you looked at the two of them."

"Are you still going on about that?"

The older man just shook his head in disbelief.

"Your psychologist girlfriend lets something slip and now you're seeing things that aren't there. Maybe she needs to evaluate you," the younger shinobi said with a smirk.

"She didn't let something slip," the red haired man calmly explained. "She knew that the two of us had worked together and she was trying to establish a history."

"I'm sure."

"When a man as composed and collected as Hatake has... an episode... like that, questions get asked."

"We've both had a squad. You know they might as well be your own children. She was one of his Genin: his daughter by proxy. Case closed."

"Did you sleep through your profiling classes?"

"That's for figuring out what's going on in the mind of a mark. This is Kakashi."

"Kid, everyone's the same when it comes to these things."

"What things?"

"If you can't figure this one out, I'm certainly not going to be the one to tell you."

"Because you know it doesn't have a leg to stand on?"

"Because-"

"Because he knows how I'd feel about the two of you gossiping about me like you're a couple old women at the hot springs."

"Good morning Kakashi," the older ANBU said with a smirk, looking up at the branch above him

Kakashi grinned and turned toward the younger man, "Kid, you're going to have to be more on your toes than that if you expect to keep out of harms way. I can understand him missing me trade places with a clone behind his back, but you've been watching almost the whole time."

"Sorry senpai."

The redhead laughed. "So you're off on a cushy little mission to Suna? You're getting soft Hatake."

"Don't start with me. You know what this is about."

"Everyone's got their theories."

"It's a wonder that any missions get done. If we gathered intelligence from the outside with the efficiency that stories spread among us, we wouldn't have near the amount of competition from the other countries when it comes down to people who are willing to pay for our services."

"That's the sad truth of it."

"Yes it is. Thanks for seeing us this far, I suppose. Honestly I sort of take it as an insult, but I know how these things go. Give my best to your lady-friend when you get home. Tell her she doesn't need to worry about the mental state of an old fool like me."

The man with the bear mask smirked. "I'll do that Kakashi. You take care of them for us."

Kakashi let a little chuckle escape. "It was made pretty clear that the only reason I was invited on this little outing is because she knew I wouldn't let her go alone."

The man's smirk softened into a knowing smile. He was well aware that Kakashi was talking about two separate women. "They are quite a pair. Get back down there and get some rest. Those two-three-one crossings aren't as easy as they used to be, old man."

"Ha. Look who's talking," he said, leaping down from the limb and silently making his way back to the campsite.

The blonde man watched intently as Kakashi dispersed his clone and climbed back into his bedroll. He paused to brush a lock of hair from Sakura's face before he laid back and pillowed his head on his arms.

"Maybe you're right."

"Told you."

"Don't you think it's a little odd. I mean… she was his student."

"Kakashi's never done anything the traditional way and with the two boys that he had to contend with, I'm sure he didn't get to be much of a teacher to her."

"Perhaps."

* * *

It was nearly ten when Kakashi woke again. A small fire had been started from the previous nights coals and Sakura had just put a pot of water on to boil for tea. He watched her for a long moment before pulling himself out of his bedroll.

Sakura silently handed him a cup of tea and he found himself pleased that the familiarity of previous weeks had not faded outside the confines of his home. They sat in silence for a while before he finally asked, "Where's Tsunade?"

"She went to speak with the ANBU."

"Ah."

"So we'll be in Suna in less than thirty-six hours," she mused.

"I've been in Wind since, but not actually to Suna since Gaara was taken."

"Me either. It seems like a different lifetime."

"Last month seems like a different lifetime."

Sakura turned to ask Kakashi what he meant only to be interrupted by Tsunade reentering the camp. "Good, you're both awake. I want to be underway within the hour."

"Fair enough," Kakashi agreed, throwing back the last of his tea and starting to break camp.

Tsunade took over cooking, setting another pot on to boil as Sakura tied her bedroll to the bottom of her pack.

"Don't bother cleaning up completely," Tsunade called as she added rice to the pot of boiling water. "The two that shadowed us this far are going to be camping here until we return."

"The elders don't know that you're traveling without your escorts, do they?" Sakura asked.

"What they don't know won't hurt them. Those two boys deserve a little time off and we all know that I'm in as good or better hands with the two of you. I hope you two don't mind a heavier meal now. I'm not planning on stopping until dark or Wind, whichever comes first."

"That'll be fine," Kakashi chimed in. "It'll be dark that comes first tonight. I suspect we'll see tomorrow and Wind about the same time."

Half an hour later they left their campsite behind. Tsunade set a punishing pace from the start. She took to the treetops as she had the day before and moved swiftly from branch to branch in a way that belied the fact that she had passed her sixtieth birthday. Her footfalls were sure and without hesitation.

* * *

As with most political borders, it was hard to tell exactly when they crossed the line into River, but as the terrain grew steeper Tsunade felt a familiar tug that she had long ago associated with leaving her homeland. It wasn't that she'd ever truly wanted to leave, she was always being pulled back home. She was well aware that crossing River was not a leisurely stroll through the gardens of Konoha, but despite it all she relished the time out of the city. It made her feel like the younger, more adventurous version of herself again.

She put as much thought into the route that she was taking as she could but she kept finding herself distracted by thoughts of the two who followed her. She found herself cataloging the changes in the two as individuals as kilometers passed beneath her feet.

Kakashi was markedly changed. And it seemed that the way he seemed to regard Sakura had changed further since she was released from the hospital. There was even a difference between the day that she came to his house and their morning meeting at the gate.

Sakura on the other hand, seemed seemed less affected. She started when this thought came to her and she turned it over in her mind, examining it carefully. Tsunade knew the observation had nothing to do with Sakura's physical recovery.

As night began to fall, she recognized that Kakashi's care had fallen to the wayside. Somehow she knew that he wouldn't have had it any other way, but it still made her question her own judgment.

She cast those thoughts aside in favor of returning to her examination of the two that trailed in her wake. Sakura was for the most part unchanged. Somehow that defied explanation. The training that she had been provided, from both her mentors, would not have prepared her mentally for what she had endured. Kakashi on the other hand had seen much more than Sakura, possibly more than she herself had. He was probably the most likely of the Leaf's shinobi to remain apparently unaffected by even the worst missions.

 


	16. Wednesday - Arrival

As Kakashi had predicted they were barely five kilometers inside Wind's borders when Wednesday arrived. The hour of twelve passed unnoticed by the three shinobi. It was almost one when Tsunade signaled for a break. Sakura came to a stop behind her mentor, dropped her pack, and sat down on it.

Kakashi could see that the crossing was wearing on both women, but he chose to not mention it as he slipped one shoulder out of his pack and swung it around in front of him. He rooted through the side pocket, looking for a bite to eat, before he let it drop to the ground.

"About ten hours," Tsunade observed.

"Until the caves?" Sakura asked.

"Yes."

"We'll take about half an hour here?" Kakashi said in a tone that hardly made it a question.

"Or a bit longer," Tsunade verified with a meaningful look in Kakashi's direction before she turned her attention to the contents of her pack.

Sakura unceremoniously slid from her seat, pulled her pack around beside her, and started to dig through it for a snack. Kakashi eased up beside where Sakura sat under the guise of of offering her a drink from his canteen. She took it and helped herself to a drink, but her thankful smile quickly turned to a warning glare as she felt him hesitantly place his hand over the seal on her back.

"I'm fine," she ground out through clenched teeth

"Why not use..."

"Because I don't need it," she insisted in a tone she usually reserved for Naruto.

"It doesn't have to be about need."

"It is for me."

"I don't understand."

She shot a sideways glance at Tsunade who appeared to be engrossed in the small scroll that she had pulled from her pack. "It's not natural; sometimes like its not even mine."

"It is yours: your chakra and ingenuity; but I guess I can see where you're coming from," he admitted grudgingly.

* * *

Tsunade sat off to the side straining to hear the hushed conversation. Despite the fact that they'd never discussed it, her protege's reserve wasn't news to her. She'd first learned about it in the middle of an exhausting reconstruction. She could still recall the slight flare of Sakura's chakra near the end of the surgery. She had glanced up at the exhausted woman who stood across the operating table from her to find the girl refreshed. It had taken her by surprise and she spent some time later considering what she had seen. She hadn't been able to verify what she had taken notice of until Sakura had landed on her operating table earlier that month. It had impressed her that Sakura had found a way to modify her own jutsu into something that was admittedly more practical than the way she was left drained.

But how did Kakashi know? The first scenario that came to mind was one that would have made a lesser woman blush but she quickly shoved that thought to the side. Surely Kakashi hadn't seen it under such intimate circumstances. And given bloodstains on her skin, he had not seen it on the day that they were attacked. That only left the possibility that Sakura had confided in him. That confused her. She had thought herself the girl's most likely confidant, but she had been told nothing. Kakashi, on the other hand, appeared to be, at least until a couple weeks ago, an absent force in her life.

She munched on her jerky thoughtfully as she turned to the two shinobi behind her. "It's all sand from here on out."

"Yes," Kakashi agreed.

"About fifteen more minutes til we'll get underway?" Sakura asked, glancing at the stars on the horizon.

"Something like that." Tsunade agreed.

* * *

When Tsunade stood and dusted herself off a short time later she said the one thing that neither of the others expected. "Sakura, your turn to take point."

"But I..."

"Just stay on this heading until about dawn," Kakashi assured her

"And then?"

"Follow the road toward the pass. Once we're in the pass you'll find it easily."

"If it's easy to find, why are we seeking shelter there?

"Because it's hard to approach silently and it's terribly easy to defend," Tsunade cut in. "Lets get a move on."

Kakashi nodded to Tsunade as she fell into step behind Sakura. He recognized that she needed to see how her student was doing for herself, instead of relying on his biased read on Sakura's condition.

The girl's footsteps were sure, Tsunade noted, but something else about her was amiss. She was carrying herself like one does when they know they are being carefully evaluated.. This left her feeling almost guilty. Leave it to Sakura to not recognize the difference between judgment and caring. This did not keep Tsunade from her assessment, but she saw little else that troubled her for the remainder of the crossing.

They made their way into one of the wind-carved caves around ten thirty, just as Kakashi had said they would.

Tsunade shed her pack and took out her canteen. "I want to make the gates by six."

"So we'll be leaving here no later than three?" Kakashi asked, taking a seat and leaning back against the cool wall.

"That should work. It will be a nice leisurely walk. I don't want to arrive looking too ruffled," Tsunade agreed, passing her canteen to Sakura.

Sakura took a drink and then handed it over to Kakashi before stretching out on the floor. "What's our schedule look like once we get there?"

"Gaara knows to expect us around dusk. Someone will be waiting at the gate to show us where we'll be staying. After we clean up a bit, we'll go get some real food. I'm afraid that I'm getting too old for living off of camp food, nuts, and jerky for more than two days at a time."

Sakura nodded in agreement.

Kakashi looked down at her. He could see her exhaustion. She hadn't completely come around from the chakra exhaustion that she had suffered and despite all of her improvements she still didn't have the stamina of the two older shinobi. "Either take a nap or tap into it," he whispered.

Tsunade looked on, but said nothing.

"I'm fine."

"You don't have anything to prove. This is a different sort of assault on your stamina than you're used to."

"Fine," she said, rolling to her side and pillowing her head on her hands in an attempt to get comfortable. "Don't let me sleep past two."

He nodded and then pulled her toward him. She looked up at him in surprise, but he said nothing, so she rolled so that she was facing him and allowed her head to rest on his thigh. He smiled and unzipped his Jonin vest, positioning it to shade her eyes from the light coming in the entrance of the cave.

* * *

Once she was sure that Sakura was sleeping soundly, Tsunade cleared her throat. "You're a changed man, Kakashi," she observed.

He threaded his fingers through Sakura's hair. "Perhaps."

"When you said tap into it…?" Tsunade asked, already knowing the answer.

"You cleaned her up yourself. You knew before then or you'd have had a nurse handle that."

"She didn't tell me. I didn't know until I felt her chakra shift during a procedure."

"Is it going to be a problem?"

"No. I poked around a bit at the seal while she was out and Hinata confirmed what I found, which is to say she only noted a small piece of scar tissue in her chakra network. It will serve her well. I'm just surprised that she told you," she said, testing the theory of his knowledge.

"She seemed embarrassed," he observed quitetly.

"I think that's because she doesn't want to need it, but it will serve her well."

"If she'll use it. She has yet to understand that knowledge and control often out-weigh power and speed. I know I'm not as strong as people give me credit for."

Tsunade smiled. "It is a rare shinobi who can get by on chakra alone."

"Naruto is an odd one alright," Kakashi agreed, still playing with Sakura's hair.  
  
"We all are in our own way."

"What's that?" he asked, his fingers stilling.

"We're all odd in our own way," Tsunade assured him. "And yet we have the ability...”  
  
Kakashi was beginning to have a sinking feeling about the direction of the conversation. "What ability?"

"The ability to change. To surprise. To be something other than what we were if the situation calls for it."

"Oh?" Definitely a sinking feeling, but he felt compelled to see where she was going.

"Many counties don't see the humanity of their shinobi, but I've never forgotten. We are all human. We all have things that we want. Should we deny ourselves because we are shinobi?"

Defensive measures were not unfamiliar to Kakashi. "What is it that you want, Lady Tsunade?" he asked coolly as he nonchalantly returned to threading his fingers through the pink strands that were spread across his lap.

Tsunade smiled, "I want what every leader should want. I want the future of my village. I want every last one of them to be safe. But not just safe, happy. We're all entitled to our wants so long as they're not hurting anyone."

Kakashi's fingers stilled again and Tsunade noted the mildly horrified look that crossed his face.

"You won't hurt her, Kakashi," she whispered.

The steely look that he gave her told her everything that she needed to know.

"You're a changed man," she repeated. "There's nothing wrong with that. Change is natural. What I don't understand the lack of change in her."

Kakashi looked down where Sakura slept on, again not answering Tsunade's remark.

"I'd expected her to be different somehow, but she's not really."

He nodded along, turning his attention away from Sakura.

"She's been composed, almost too much so for someone who did what she did."

"She's held it together pretty well," he agreed.

"Is there something I should know?"

"I think she's feeling a bit like a pariah."

"I think that everyone thinks of her as the medic. Seeing her come into town like that was a shock to some people's systems."

"And I didn't help that any," he added, finally looking up at Tsunade.

"No, you most certainly didn't. But I think I understand."

The conversation had just gone from dangerous to territory that he was unwilling to tread. "Are you going to let her sleep naturally or are you going to keep her under in that jutsu?"

She laughed. "I was thinking about asking you the same thing."

"I'm not keeping her asleep. I'm just making sure she isn't disturbed."

"Alright," she said closing her eyes in a moment of concentration. "You go ahead, I'll let her rest naturally."

He glanced at the shadow that was cast at the mouth of the cave. "She wants up anyway."

"Let her rest just a bit longer."

"Better to wake her up like she asked. No since in her wasting her energy as anger."

"That's true."

"What's true?" Sakura asked groggily.

"That we're going to have to be soon be underway," Kakashi said smoothly.

"Yes, in a little less than half an hour."

"You let me oversleep."

"We were discussing things and lost track of time."

"I must have really been out."

"We tried to not disturb you."

"Thank you, I think."

"You needed it."

"Yeah, yeah. Let's get going."

* * *

The road allowed for more relaxed travel. Instead of keeping the tight single-file ranks that they had used before, they walked three abreast and joked lightly for the remainder of the journey. None of them were unaware of the sentries that stood guard among the rocks. They were allied and expected. They could not have been safer in their own village. Still those who watched over them were discrete and when they finally reached the gate they were welcomed with Suna's usual formal precision.

"Lady Tsunade-sama, Welcome to Sunagakaru," Temari began with a bow. "Kakashi-sama, Sakura-sama, welcome.

Tsunade smiled fondly at the girl. Along with Shikamaru, they had worked closely planning the Chunin exams a few years past. Temari had been an intermittent fixture in her city every since and she knew it was only a matter of time until both the girl and her genius strategist would be awarded dual citizenship to go with the pair of gold bands that they would one day wear. "It's good to see you, Temari. Spare the formalities; it really isn't necessary. We're all friends here."

Temari smiled widely before turning her attention to Sakura. "How are you?"

"I'm fine."

"I thought you'd look a lot worse for wear than you do."

"Thanks," she said acidly.

"I didn't mean anything negative by it," she laughed. "All kunoichi should look as good as you do two weeks after they land themselves in the hospital."

Sakura said nothing, just gave Temari a sharp look.

"Okay, okay. You don't want to talk about it. I get it. Come on, you three must be tired. Let me show you where you'll be staying. We can have dinner prepared for you and sent up if you'd like."

"That's not necessary," Tsunade insisted. "We'll find a restaurant this evening."

Temari led them to their rooms. Inwardly Kakashi bemoaned the idea of being separated from Sakura for the night. Tsunade's room came first and she left the pair with Temari in favor of a hot shower before they stepped out for dinner. They were led down the hall past a few more doors before Temari came to a stop. She turned to Sakura; "Tsunade explained in her last message she has you monitoring Kakashi's condition since the… incident. She said you've been staying with him and that she would like you to continue your observations. I hope this room suits. Please forgive the decor. It's always been used for when families with children visit."

"I'm sure it will be fine," Kakashi assured her.

"Alright, I'll leave you two to get settled in. Gaara will be meeting with the three of you over brunch tomorrow around ten-thirty."

"We'll pass that along to Tsunade," Sakura said, turning to open the door.

Sakura was glad that Temari made a quick disappearance because when she entered the room she was unable to stifle her laugh.

Kakashi stood in the hall, looking at her as though she'd lost her mind. She quickly tugged him into the room and pointed to a mural along the left wall. "Bunbuku Chagama," she giggled.

He shook his head in amusement and quickly surveyed the rest of the room. He was relieved to find that, though the room had been decorated for children, the furniture was all adult-sized. There was a small sofa with a lamp and a low coffee table, a small dresser, and two double beds separated by small nightstand.

Kakashi turned back to Sakura, who was eagerly eying the door beside the mural. "I'm taking a bath," she announced.

Though he would have appreciated a shower, Kakashi had learned very early in his career to not argue over bathroom rights with a kunoichi.

Sakura disappeared into the bathroom with a change of clothes in hand and Kakashi tossed his pack onto the floor beside her open one. From behind the bathroom door came a hum of approval and the sound of a tub filling. He shed his vest and sandals and laid back on the bed furthest from the bathroom. He was desperately trying to keep his mind from conjuring pictures of Sakura in the bath when the door opened.

She leaned into the bedroom wearing a fluffy white cotton robe. "I know we don't have a lot of time before we have to meet Tsunade. The shower and tub are separate. If you want a shower, give me a couple of minutes and you can go ahead."

Sakura disappeared again, leaving the door slightly ajar in what he knew she meant to be an inviting gesture. He heard the water splash as she lowered herself into the tub. His mouth went dry at the sound.

He took a few long moments to recompose himself before standing and looking through partially open door. The curtain around the bathtub was drawn and the robe that she had been wearing laid on the bathmat. Another robe hung over the shower door. He quickly shed his clothes and stepped behind the frosted glass.

After nearly two days in the sand, the warm water was a relief.

Sakura tensed slightly as she heard the shower turn off and the door open. She opted to distract herself by rewashing her hair, but it didn't really help with they way that she now felt trapped behind the curtain. She heaved a sigh before allowing herself to slip beneath the water to rinse the suds from her hair.

Kakashi stood at the sink with the white robe tied around his waist and the sleeves dangling behind him. It didn't take long for him to decide that he was in need of a shave.

He pulled a razor from the small bag that he'd laid on the counter and paid careful attention to the task at hand until he saw the reflection of the shower curtain behind him moving. Kakashi watched intently as Sakura snaked a hand from beneath the curtain to retrieve the robe that she had left on the bathmat. He momentarily considered that this might be somehow inappropriate but he shook that thought off and returned to his shave.

He was just rinsing the razor when he heard the tub begin to drain. Looking up just in time to see the curtain being pulled aside, he breathed a small sigh of relief when Sakura asked, "How long have we got?"

"About fifteen minutes."

"Good," she said, plucking a towel from the stack on the counter and roughly toweling her hair dry.

Kakashi silently marveled at how natural this felt as he tucked his toiletries back into their little bag and slid it to the back of the counter before taking a towel for his own hair.

He froze when he felt Sakura trace his tattoo.

"Sorry," she whispered.

"You just surprised me."

She nodded and returned to studying the swirling design. "I'll never have one of these."

He found himself surprised. "Did you want that path?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "It seemed like the next logical step."

"There's nothing logical about ANBU," he said dismissively. The thought of of her in the mask and the long black cloak brought up conflicting feelings. She would be highly effective and no doubt excel, but he did not wish the lifestyle on her, nor did he want her to have to go through the inner struggle of trying to justify her actions when most times ANBU were sent to act without knowing the reasons.

He could tell that she forced the smile when she said, "Go get dressed, I'll be out in a minute."

As he exited the bath he wondered again if the creation of her alter-ego had been the right path. Maybe he had misjudged Sakura. Maybe something in her wanted the credit for the things that she'd done. No, he decided as he pulled on his pants, she was as humble as he was. She had no personal ambitions, only those that served the Leaf. It was astonishing really, how much her intentions mirrored his own.

Sakura appeared in the room as he was fastening his sandals. She sat down on the bed opposite him and pulled her own shoes on. "Are we ready?" she asked.

"Yes, let's not keep the Lady waiting."

* * *

Sakura, Tsunade, and Kakashi entered the first restaurant that they happened upon, which was only a couple blocks from the Kazekage's residence. After a quick scan of the establishment, Kakashi nodded his approval and made his way to an empty booth that was tucked into the back corner. He slid onto the bench that faced the back wall and motioned for Sakura to take a seat across from him. Tsunade slid in beside him.

Sakura eyed the arrangement with curiosity once the waitress had left with their orders, but it became apparent when their food arrived. Small talk continued as Kakashi pulled his mask down and ate casually. Tsunade kept her eyes away from the man beside her and Sakura found herself shooting Kakashi a warning look when the waitress returned to refill drinks and later with the check. The unspoken agreement seemed so natural that Sakura found herself wondering how many meals that the two across from her had shared in this manner. There was an air of mutual respect and trust between them that she had missed before.

* * *

When they returned to their rooms for the evening, Kakashi stopped just inside the door, allowing her to make the first move. This was the part of the evening that he had been dreading since seeing the room that they had been put up in was furnished with two beds. He had been disappointed: if there had been only one bed and a sofa, there was little doubt as to how the sleeping arrangements would have fallen, but the two beds he felt certain that they would be sleeping separately.

She stepped around him and surveyed the situation. She worried over the meaning of being given a single room with two beds. Did Tsunade not suspect that they had been sharing a bed since she had been staying with Kakashi, or did she know and this her way of allowing them to discreetly continue if they so chose? Maybe she had said nothing and the arrangements were made by Temari. Regardless of what the their sleeping arrangements meant, or didn't mean, she was exhausted. She tossed her bag off of the bed and climbed between the covers, allowing him to be the one to make the decision.

Kakashi hesitated as he worked through his options. What either Tsunade or whoever in Suna that had selected their room had assumed about their former sleeping arrangements was of no concern to him. What Sakura wanted was his real question. She had kept well to one side of the bed that she chose, but he didn't know if that was an invitation or just her habit. The hopeful part of his mind decided to take it as an invitation. But she had tossed her bag on the floor, not to the other bed beside his. This took away some of his hope. Wouldn't she have put hers on the bed beside his if she had not expected him to follow her example?

He shook his head and retired to his own bed, trying to not overthink the situation.

 


	17. Thursday - Research

Sakura found herself awakened suddenly. The room was still dark. She looked around quickly to assess that there was no imminent threat and then, upon finding the room empty, she glanced at the clock. It read 00:47.

She laid there for a moment, wondering what had woken hers when she heard something. A soft whimper came from Kakashi's bed. She looked over at him and found him curled tightly into a ball. She could tell that he was asleep. Another whimper escaped.

Without thinking, she slipped from between her blankets and slid between the blanket and the mattress of Kakashi's bed. He had wrapped himself tightly in the sheet.

She tugged at the sheet gently. "You never hogged the blankets in Konoha," she whispered.

"Hmm?" came his sleepy reply.

"Share the covers. I'm cold."

Kakashi woke just enough grasp the whole situation. The haze of the nightmare hadn't completely subsided, but he was awake enough to deduce that his dream had caused him to do something that woke her. He carefully straightened the sheet and blanket across the two of them. She scooted closer to him, but she didn't seem to be any colder than he was. Her intent was clear; there were no coincidences after all. She could have said something. She could have called him on it. She could even had chosen to ignore it. But instead she opted to comfort him under the guise of seeking comfort herself.

She understood him. He was grateful for that. She laid beside him, close enough that he could feel the fabric of the t-shirt that she wore, but not so close that he could feel the press of her arm against his. He found it equally comforting and frustrating

* * *

Kakashi woke for the second time not long after dawn to the feeling of Sakura slipping back into his bed.

"So much for getting an early start," she grumbled.

"Oh?" he asked sleepily.

"She threatened to demote me for waking her so early."

"Well brunch does tend to indicate..."

"I know," she admitted, "and it would be rude to go wandering around the city since Gaara probably rearranged his whole schedule just so we could sleep in."

"Most likely."

"Alright then, she allowed, tugging the sheet up around her shoulder and curling into a ball with her back toward him.

* * *

He woke again just before nine. With as much skill as he could muster he slid from beneath the covers, careful to not disturb Sakura. After going through his normal morning routine, he slipped from the room in search of something to drink.

He was pleasantly surprised to find a pair of trays between their room and Tsunade's He had never encountered this except among the nobles in Wind, and even then it was rare to see it extended to anyone but the highest-ranking guests. The tray had obviously been placed much earlier in the morning, but judging by the multiple rings left on the tray, the oversize tea pot had been emptied and refilled several times to ensure that the water was hot. He quietly slid the door shut and placed the tray on the table in front of the sofa.

Along with several regional varieties of tea, the tray contained a small crusty loaf of coarse-grained bread, two small dishes of fruit, and the day's news.  
He chose a blend of tea that he'd only ever encountered on the far border of Wind and set to reading the news.

On the fifth page of the paper, just as he was considering his third cup of tea, Sakura stirred. It amused him how someone who was known for waking and immediately acting when she was on call and sleeping at the hospital was so completely lethargic when she could do so in the mornings without it being a threat to anyone's well-being.

She smiled at him, her hair unruly and her eyelids still at half-mast. "Good morning," she muttered.

"And to think that you wanted to get an early start," he teased.

"Seemed like a good idea at the time... Is that tea?"

"Yes"

"Did you leave any for me?"

"Some."

She brightened at this. "Anything with orange peel?"

He sat his paper to the side and thumbed through the selection, producing a small envelope.

She squinted at this as she removed herself from the blankets, then nodded.  
She grabbed the strap on her pack and pack and quietly padded across the wooden floor, dragging it behind her. "Let it get strong, please," she requested as she entered the bathroom.

When she reemerged a few minutes later, she looked fully awake. Her hair was braided back and she had dressed in a dark read blouse that was cinched with a white belt and a knee length black skirt.

He raised an eyebrow in question as she sat down heavily beside him.

"I keep a couple things in a scroll for meetings and such," she explained, stirring a little honey into her tea. She took a long sip and smiled. "In a perfect world, tea would appear bedside every morning, and mornings wouldn't begin until at least eight."

He nodded slowly. "And it wouldn't rain on my days off. And the dogs would only shed in their own room."

She smiled across her cup. "I'm fairly certain that we've not allowed to complain about the rain here."

He nodded and returned to his paper, offering her the section that he had finished with.

* * *

A knocked came at the door at 10:20. When Sakura opened it, she found Tsunade with a member of Gaara's staff who was to escort the three of them to brunch.

The small dining room that they were shown to was set with four places at the toward one end of the long table. Tsunade was seated first, at what would be Gaara's right hand. Sakura was seated across from her. Kakashi was given the seat to Sakura's left. A short, folding screen of paper with a wooden frame was placed beside his place setting, and he smiled an nodded gratefully to their guide.

Gaara opened the door and made his way to the head of the table. They all moved to stand, but he motioned them back to their seats. "There will be none of that," he smiled, "we're all colleagues here. Let's spare the formalities and not fuss."

"As you would have it," allowed Tsunade, relaxing back into her chair.

The meal arrived and was plated and with rice and eggs were some kind of delicious small birds that had been roasted with onions, carrots, bok choy, and a blend of spices. Kakashi always enjoyed the cuisine in Wind and this meal was by no means an exception. From behind his screen, which no one made any mention of, he thanked and complimented anyone who seemed to have anything to do with the meal in an earnest way that Sakura found terribly endearing.

When he had finished his meal, he replaced his mask, took down the screen, and placed it off to the side. "Thank you for the consideration," he said sincerely to Gaara.

"I would hate for you to feel the need to rush a meal when there are other options."

After the dishes were cleared and the heavy doors to the dining room closed, Gaara finally turned the conversation toward business. "All of the records have been pulled for your review. I have ordered them delivered to you room as soon as possible. They should be in Sakura and Kakashi's room when you return. The medic who survived, Kenshin, is still in the hospital, but he will be made available to speak with you as soon as his doctors see fit. I expect that to be sometime tomorrow. Is there anything else you require?"

"I'm sure you'd like some detail on what happened over in Konoha," Tsunade offered.

"That can come later," Gaara assured her. "From what I can recall there are quite a few files on the subject and I'm sure that you'll want to get through them before you speak with Kenshin."

"I would like some time with you regardless. Tomorrow, if your schedule allows," Tsunade requested.

"Of course," Gaara replied. "I'll clear my lunch."

"Did Kenshin make his own way back to the city?" Kakashi asked.

"No, he was found some distance out by one of our patrols."

"Can someone direct me there? I'm hoping maybe my dogs..." he let the thought trail off.

"That shouldn't be a problem."

* * *

"I never really realized that the two of you were friends," Sakura observed as they made their way back to their rooms, this time without an escort.

"You seemed surprised."

"I guess I am."

"You shouldn't be. He and I are much the same."

Sakura thought on it for a moment. "I suppose."

"We've both seen too much loss in our lifetimes. We've both been given power that we don't necessarily want. We both are unwaveringly committed to Konoha."

"That's why you've chosen him."

"Mostly, though it wasn't entirely my decision."

"I know."

"He doesn't know yet."

"I'm aware of that too."

"It will be some time yet, a few years at least. There are still many hurdles."

Sakura nodded.

"Just because he's been telling you things that you were never meant to know…"

"Don't worry. I won't be breathing a word of it. Although…"

"Although what, Sakura?"

"I do want to be there when he's told," she said mischievously.

Tsunade laughed. "I think that I can arrange that. He's not just avoiding paperwork is he?"

"You mean by having the dogs sniff around where they found Kenshin."

"You probably have a better idea of what his mutts are capable of than I do. Do you think that they'll find anything?"

"I've not worked with many other than Pakkun. It's possible, probable even. Didn't Kankuro say that they haven't gotten any measurable rain since?"

Tsunade laughed. "We're in Suna. They've not had any measurable rain since you were a Chunin."

"Right," she said laughing along.

As they neared their rooms, Tsunade's soft features took on a more serious look. It was something that Sakura could almost sense.

Their pace slowed as they climbed the last flight of stairs on their journey back from Gaara's wing. When Tsunade reached the top step she turned to confront Sakura. "I need to know why you did it."

Sakura knew that this would come and also knew better than to play stupid. "I already told you."

"You told me what you thought I'd want to hear. Now I want the truth."

Sakura avoided Tsunade's eyes, trying to formulate an answer that wasn't self-incriminating.

In the mean time, Tsunade had already assessed her body language. "I suppose I already know."

"Yeah," she managed.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?"

"Shizune knew. I just figured…"

"Does he know?"

"Yes."

"Since when?"

"Monday."

"How long?"

"How long what?"

"How long have you felt this way?"

"What does it matter?"

"At the risk of sounding like one of the elders, there are 14 years between you and he was your sensei. People will think…" Tsunade let the rest of the thought trail off.

"Oh. No. Nothing like that," she said quickly. "It wasn't just something that came on all of a sudden either. Maybe a year and a half since I recognized it for what it is."

Tsunade nodded. Her features softened as she began to speak, this time in a softer tone. "Don't hurt him, Sakura."

For the first time since the awkward conversation began, Sakura looked Tsunade in the eyes. "I won't... I couldn't"

"He's a good man."

"I know."

"He's also a scarred man. A very deeply scarred man."

"I know that too. In the last week or so-" Sakura stopped her sentence short as she felt Kakashi's familiar chakra approaching.

Tsunade felt it too. "As soon as Kakashi gets back we'll start in on the files. Do you want to use your room or mine?"

"Ours will be fine," Kakashi volunteered, catching up to them. "It will save shuffling things over to your room."

"Did you find anything?"

"Maybe. I left Pakkun and the others to it."

* * *

Sakura opened the door, unsurprised to find that it had been straightened in their absence. The beds had been made, a few cushions had appeared near the coffee table, as had two trays loaded down with drinks, whole fruits, small breads, and an assortment of nuts. There was a note indicating that someone would be around to see if anything needed refreshing every other hour and that the were to feel free to take to the city for dinner or to order in at their leisure. There were two pieces of paper was marked with Gaara's seal and instructed the recipient to bill the Kazekage. The files, along with several notepads and pencils were neatly laid out on the coffee table.

"He's buying dinner?" Kakashi asked, indicating the notes marked with Gaara's seal.

"And breakfast too it would seem," Tsunade said, shaking her head. "Maybe we need to rethink how our dignitaries are handled."

"If the escort missions that I've lead through here are any indication, this is more of a personal decision than standard procedure," Kakashi offered.

Tsunade shot a look toward Sakura, who had already begun to pursue the first file, "I believe that to be mostly about her."

"That would really not surprise me. She and I have talked about that mission over the last few days. There were some details that managed to pass me by."

"It was a very complicated situation," she allowed.

* * *

The stack of files was a bit daunting for Kakashi. He mainly concentrated on mission reports while Tsunade and Sakura poured over personnel files and medical charts. The reports came with far more detail than he had ever considered including. He thought back to what Shizune had said about his reports being less-than-acceptable and he fleetingly wondered what his 'file' would look like had he handed in such complete work.

When Pakkun appeared with a report from the pack sometime in the third or fourth hour of reading, he was both grateful for the break and ready to have him dispatch some of the ninken to other locations for further investigation, sending them to the coordinates where two other medics had been found and the last known location of a third.

* * *

It was nearing eight when a member of Gaara's staff knocked on the door. "Is there anything that I can get for you?" he asked.

Tsunade glanced across the file she was reading at the clock. "Just a recommendation for dinner."

The man looked slightly confused, if not a little flustered.

"Somewhere traditional?" Kakashi asked hopefully.

"Nothing fancy or crowded," chimed in Sakura as she laid down the file that she was partway through and stood, stretching.

Tsunade smiled at the pair and then looked at the man in the doorway hopefully.

He glanced over his shoulder. "We're supposed to be impartial when guests ask," he said sheepishly. Then he took two steps through the door. "Out the front gate of the estate. Two blocks straight ahead. Take a left. Four blocks. You'll know it by the green door with a white fish on it."

"Fish in Suna?" Kakashi asked skeptically.

"Primarily from the sea. Traditionally it was a delicacy, but there have been advances in the transport, making it much more accessible."

Tsunade smile. "And they serve sake?"

"Of course."

"Perfect. Thank you."

"Will you be returning to work after you dine? I can see that these trays are refreshed for you."

Tsunade shook her head. "I, at least, will be calling it a night after dinner and starting fresh in the morning."

"Then I will see that the trays are made ready for you then," he said, giving as slight bow and slipping from the room.

Tsunade turned to Sakura and Kakashi. "I need to freshen up. Can I meet you two out front in half an hour?"

* * *

After what they all agreed was a wonderful meal, they retired to their respective rooms. Kakashi noted that the two large trays of snacks had been removed from their room as he made his way to the bathroom. The shower that he had been denied a few hours ago when Sakura had claimed the bathroom before they went out for dinner was just what he needed. He let the hot water pound down on his shoulders, which were tense from being hunched over paperwork all day. He tried to not speculate as to what he would find when he returned to the bedroom.

He needn't have thought on it. When he stepped back into the darkened room he found her tucked into the bed that he'd chosen the night before, little more than a tuft of pink visible above the covers. He also didn't have to question her intent, both of their packs were on the other bed. She was well on left side of the bed, facing the edge, leaving him plenty of room. The message could not have been clearer.

He smiled as he moved silently across the room, not wanting to wake her. He eased under the blankets and she moved toward him, sleepily gravitating toward his warmth in the cool room.

He glanced at the back of her head, half wondering if he should say something, but decided against it when she gave a contented sigh. Kakashi found himself laying awake wondering how it would appear if someone were to come into the room. He had almost decided to slide out of bed and put a seal on the door.

"Go to sleep."

"I was thinking maybe I should put a seal on the door," he said, embarrassed that he hadn't realized that she was awake.

"Doesn't matter. Just sleep."

 


	18. Friday - Clarity

A sharp knock at the door brought Kakashi out of bed with a start. The clock read seven-thirty; obviously neither of them had thought to set the alarm. Sakura grumbled behind him as he made his way to the door, pulling on the shirt with the mask that he had left at the foot of the other bed. He opened the door and found himself eye to eye with Tsunade. Reflexively he pulled the door closed slightly and looked back toward the bed. Sakura had stretched toward his side of the bed as though searching for him in his absence.

His backward glance did not go unnoticed by Tsunade, though she chose to not comment on it. "Breakfast in the market? Or should we just bring the trays in and get started?"

He fought to keep the panic from changing his expression or posture, but he he couldn't avoid stealing another look back at the beds. He tried to cover it up by scratching the back of his head. "Ummm..."

Tsunade found it impossible to resist the opportunity to make Kakashi sweat. "Something you'd like to tell me, Kakashi?"

"Ahh..."

She decided to let him off the hook, "She's still sleeping, isn't she?"

He felt himself relax, "Well..."

"May I?" she asked, pushing the door open.

Kakashi knew better than to try to stop her and could only hope that she didn't read too much into what she was about to see.

Tsunade made it about three steps into the room before he saw her falter. To her credit, and his relief, she said nothing. She continued into the room, stepping silently, leaving Kakashi in her wake, and made her way to the bedside. Sakura slept soundly on. Kakashi found himself holding his breath as Tsunade reached out and laid a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

Sakura gave a slight groan and reached for the hand that had woken her. Her hand no more than made contact than her eyes flew open. The soft look that had graced her face on previous mornings quickly gave way to one of confusion, if not horror. "Shishou?" she asked, looking quickly back and forth between Tsunade and Kakashi.

Tsunade gave a short laugh. "I came to ask about breakfast, so that we might get through the last of these files before I have lunch with Gaara."

Sakura glanced at the clock, "Can I have ten minutes?"

"Sure." Tsunade turned, giving Kakashi what he could only describe as a knowing smile, and crossed into the hall, closing the door behind her.

Kakashi drew a full breath and watched as the blush rose on Sakura's face.

She stood, took her scroll of clothes from the pack, and made her way to the bathroom. "Tonight, I won't argue with you about the seal," she whispered as she passed him.

He took the opportunity to finish dressing and straightened the blankets on the bed before stepping into the hallway to retrieve the trays.

Tsunade was there, leaning against the wall across from him. She quirked an eyebrow at him in question, but he decided that he was not going to ask any questions that weren't actually voiced. He smiled beneath his mask, picked up the tray, and took it into the room.

Tsunade picked up the other tray and joined him.

* * *

The last time that the trays had been refreshed, the servant who had replaced the pots of hot water had told them to expect someone to take them to lunch around one. At twelve-thirty, they had decided that they had gleaned all that they could from the files and had stacked them neatly on the table. Tsunade had opened the door in anticipation of their guides and they sat around the table on cushions, drinking their last cup of tea and discussing their findings. They agreed that, unless something unexpected came to light when they interviewed Kenshin, their was little doubt that the attacks had been related, and most likely perpetrated by the same men. Their guides were punctual, Tsunade leaving for lunch just moments before Kakashi and Sakura's guide arrived.

Tsunade was somewhat surprised to see that she and the Kazekage would be taking lunch in Gaara's office. Plates had been set out on opposite sides of his desk and paperwork had been cleared to one side.

"I assumed you had business to discuss," Gaara said, indicating the seals that had been placed on the windows. "If I'm wrong we can..."

"That won't be necessary. This is fine."

Conversation was light during the meal, mostly concerning the upcoming chunin exams and other joint efforts between their villages. The levity did not remain once the meal was done.

"Gaara, there's something that I should tell you," Tsunade said as she leaned back from her nearly empty plate. "I did not want to say anything in front of Kakashi and Sakura, they were embarrassed enough by the mix-up the first time. But you need to know that Kankuro's assumptions were wrong."

"Oh?"

"It seems that Sakura is not the one who killed the man who attacked Kakashi. There was another party present at the time. I was unaware of the situation until Saturday," she sounded almost apologetic about not being forthcoming with the information in the first place.

"I'm listening."

"Where would you like me to begin?"

"Obviously the beginning would be preferable," he said with a smirk.

"Alright. I suppose that for me this all began a few years before I became Hokage. I was at a small gambling den. I don't even recall the name of the town anymore, but I'm pretty sure that I was within the borders of Fire. I had heard rumors that the man running the house was crooked at best, but it was the only den in town and rumors had never stopped me before. I was placing my bets when a man walked in.

"I remember him as though it was yesterday. He was of average height and had a lean, muscular build. He looked like and carried himself like a confident shinobi but he displayed no insignia. He wore all black save a dark red obi. His long black hair was pulled into a loose ponytail at his collar. I'm still not sure if his eye was violet or blue, but he only had one. The other was covered with a plain black patch. The man was a swordsman, carrying the one of largest odachi I'd ever seen.

"He walked calmly through the den and into the back room, sliding the door shut behind him. The owner was back there alone. The sound of the sword being drawn was unmistakable as was the thud of the owner hitting the floor. A moment later the man emerged from the room, closing the door behind him again. He was just as clean as he had been when he walked in, but the smell of blood was in the air. I'm sure it's no secret that before I became Hokage I had a terrible, crippling aversion to blood. Everyone else had fled, but I sat there panicked and he took notice. He held a hand out to me and said, 'You look like you could use a drink.' I allowed him to walk me across the road and into a small bar where we sat and talked for what seemed like hours.

"His name was Matsu Tsukino. He was an independent-nin. He told me his story and I told him mine. My story is none too impressive next to his. His was a sad, yet remarkable tale. He was sold into slavery as a boy, after a head injury stole his memories and part of his vision, and was trained in secret by his owner's elderly father who was a master of the sword. When we parted ways a while later, I felt as though I had known him my entire life."

Gaara pulled a book from his desk drawer and thumbed through it quickly. "I know of Matsu," he said as he passed it to Tsunade.

She looked glanced at the book; unsurprised to see the Bingo Book entry that Kakashi had shown her the week before. "That's him."

"Continue," Gaara insisted.

"I received correspondence via a small hawk about one week after Sakura and Kakashi returned to the village injured. It was from Matsu, but I did not recognize the name at the time. I suppose you could say that I had too much on my mind. Besides, I had not seen nor talked to him since I left the bar all those years ago. He stated his business as a contractor and a business associate of a woman who makes some remarkable poisons. The Leaf has been using some of her work, which we acquired through a third party, for a few years and I could not help but jump at the chance to get to meet her.

"I returned their hawk with an open invitation and they arrived on Saturday. To say the least, I was surprised to find that Matsu was the man who had rescued me from the smell of blood many years past. After recovering from that shock, I was met with another.

"The woman with him was  _ young _ , much younger than I expected: Twenty-one at the most. She was a petite woman, with rust-red hair and brilliant green eyes. Immediately, I likened her to a flower. She seemed delicate and harmless. After speaking with her for a while, I had learned that her name was Akane Nakamura, she had had a rather unconventional upbringing, and if she was any sort of flower, it was oleander."

"Oleander?" Gaara questioned.

"It's a tough shrubby plant that can grow nearly anywhere that freezing is unlikely. The flowers are beautiful, however the entire plant is toxic. A child could die from eating a single leaf."

"Oh, I see. I'm sorry. Go on."

"The first thing she did was tell me, in no uncertain terms, that she had killed someone who was attacking a white-haired shinobi wearing the Leaf's symbol. She was slightly embarrassed by the way her emotions led her to fly to the man's aid, but she said that her compassion got the better of her. Matsu confirmed that he had witnessed the altercation and that he knew it was Kakashi Hatake who had been attacked. Akane went on to compliment my use of her poisons and divulge applications for some of her concoctions that even Sakura and I hadn't come across.

"They both rather boldly declared that they bore no ill-will toward Konoha, and as we have the only Bingo Book that Matsu has not found his way into, they wanted to make a gesture of goodwill and offer their services. By the time they left we had worked out an agreement that leaves Konoha with exclusive rights to the purchase of what I find to be Akane's most interesting potion. And they also left me with an open offer that if they may be of any service to the Leaf; I have but to ask."

Gaara mulled over Tsunade's story. "Then Sakura was not actually involved in the incident?"

"Sakura was involoved. Akane reported that she fled when she felt another chakra signature draw near. Sakura partially healed Kakashi's wounds before they were attacked by the accomplices of the man that Akane annihilated. She fended off both of the thugs that we found dead at the scene and had set back to work on Kakashi when they were attacked again. The rogue that I had sent Hatake after in the first place had doubled back and they got caught in his senbon. She was caught by two poisoned ones. It took the last of her chakra to seal the poison out. He carried her back to town on a broken leg and she was hospitalized."

"He was not?"

"We had some  _ issues _ with Kakashi upon their return. He was a bit delirious from chakra depletion, though his was not as severe as hers. He believed Sakura to be his sole savior and in turn was extremely protective of her. He refused treatment until she was healed and then would not leave her bedside unless I ordered him away."

"From what I could see from the two of them since you arrived, that hasn't changed much."

"I ordered her under twenty-four hour supervision based on the false assumption that it was she who took out Kakashi's attacker and likewise I wanted someone to keep an eye on him since his chakra was suppressed. We didn't know what the side effects could be for either one of them. She has been staying at his home for the past week. Even now that we know the whole story as far as Sakura is concerned, I still want him monitored for a bit longer. That's why I requested that they be roomed together here. I don't pretend to understand what is going on between them, but I have not seen any evidence that would cause me to object."

"What are you saying?"

"Have you seen the two of them when they think they are alone together? She is safe and happy. He is more human than I've seen him in years. Humanity is a hard thing for a shinobi like Hatake to hold onto. If there is a relationship unfolding between them, and I suspect there is, it is not the product of the time that he spent as her mentor. They're good for eachother."

Gaara wondered over this declaration before turning his attention back to the matter at hand. "So it was this Akane who caused the mess. Do you have evidence that would suggest that she is not responsible for the attacks that have been happening in Wind?"

"All reports that you have filed say that the attacker is male."

"What of Matsu?"

She shook her head. "He doesn't have the necessary control. I believe him to be much like a member of my ANBU forces, a good man who is capable of terrible things when they are required. I don't believe he would attack indiscriminately or for his own gain."

"You yourself said he was an independent-nin. Does that not make him a soldier of fortune?"

"I do not believe he could harm someone who had not inflicted more than their own fair share of pain onto others."

"That sounds like wishful thinking, Tsunade."

"No. It is but an observation. When he disposed of the gambling den owner, he left piles of money on the tables untouched after the patrons had fled. I do not believe he does it for gain."

"How much money are we talking?"

"In retrospect, I'd estimate about five to ten times what he should have been paid for that mission."

"And he just walked away from it?"

"Without so much as a backward glance," she verified.

"I suppose Sakura and Kakashi know about these two?"

"I didn't have much choice in that matter," she said, fighting to keep the irony of the answer from showing through in her voice.

"Didn't Sakura deny being a part of what happened to the medic?"

"Of course she did. I made the mistake of not believing her. Trauma can be a very tricky thing and emotional trauma doubly so. I thought she had just blocked that part of the conflict. She would not be the first shinobi to suppress memories of a horrible act in an attempt to hold onto their humanity. Besides that, you should have seen her when Kakashi brought her back. I've never seen that much blood in one place at one time. I literally wrung her shirt out before throwing it into the trash."

"It sounds a bit traumatic for all parties involved," Gaara said empathetically.

"You could say that."

"Where are they now?"

"Sakura and Kakashi?"

"Yes."

"I believe that they're having lunch with your siblings."

"I thought as much. Kankuro was adamant that it must have been Sakura who had ended the rogue medic."

"I'm sure that they'll set him straight."

"Could she have done it, Tsunade?"

"With her chakra control, I'd hazard to say that she'd be capable, but her soft heart would not allow for such an act."

"How so?"

"Akane claims to have used a chakra knife to sever several blood vessels before moving to close off his chakra source. Sakura is known for clean, almost merciful, kills and this was anything but. The medic suffered. I refuse to think on the horror that his last minutes must have been."

Gaara noted the slight shutter that passed through Tsunade's frame and he briefly wondered if this incident might have caused some of her before mentioned 'aversion' to resurface. Knowing that this wasn't his business, he let it pass and changed the subject. "I've set aside some time for an early lunch with the three of you tomorrow. I hope I'm not overstepping, but since the incident on your soil, I have not had any of my people review the files. I have my own theories of course, but I would welcome your perspective."

"That won't be a problem," she assured him.

* * *

In a small dining room in another wing, lunch with Kankuro and Temari had turned awkward enough that he found himself wishing that he had been invited to dine with the kages. There was the initial relief that the screen had again been offered at is place setting, but that was dulled when Kankuro opened his mouth partway through the meal.

"So I suppose we should thank you for laying waste to that little problem that's been lurking in our borderlands."

"Kankuro," warned Temari.

"What? A job well done, I say," he proclaimed, raising his water glass in a mock salute. "To the second-most-badass-kunochi that I know." He stage whispered to Sakura, "I'm only ranking you so low because, well," he jerked his thumb toward his sister, "she knows where I sleep."

"Kankuro!" Temari was aghast. "I am so sorry."

Kakashi was reminded of watching Sakura deal with Naruto. Beside him, Sakura had schooled her expression back into something that resembled amusement, but her posture was too stiff to convince Kakashi. His suspicion was verified when she slipped her hand into his under the table. "Better move me down a notch or two on your list," she said with a hollow, self-depreciating laugh.

"What?"

"It wasn't me."

"Come on now, I just want to know how you did it," Kankuro prodded.

"I didn't."

"I thought we were friends. I've taught you a few of my tricks, it's only fair."

Sakura shot Kakashi a look behind the screen. He saw the panic in her eyes. He pulled his mask up and folded the screen, leaving his lunch half-eaten.

"We're not bound in any way to keep their secrets, Sakura. Tell them what really happened."

"What do you mean?" Temari interjected.

"I didn't 'take care of' anyone."

"Well," Kakashi corrected, "you didn't kill the man who was trying to take Obito's eye."

"Obito's eye?" Kankuro asked, looking genuinely confused.

Kakashi patiently tapped his hitai-ate where it covered the Sharingan.

Kankuro nodded in understanding.

"I guess we might as well start at the beginning," Sakura said.

Kakashi nodded and then began the story as it was now being told. They took turns sharing what had happened up until the point that Kakashi got Sakura back to town.

"So you're saying it was this Akane girl who took the medic out."

"Yes."

"How can you be sure?"

"She and her traveling companion came to see Lady Tsunade on Saturday."

"Maybe you've heard of the guy?" Kakashi asked. "She said his name was Matsu Tsukino?"

Temari and Kankuro exchanged an amused look.

"What?" Sakura demanded.

"Someone's playing with your Kage." Kankuro said with a chuckle. "Everyone knows that Matsu Tsukino is just a ghost story from up north."

"Oh?"

"Yes," Temari confirmed. "Supposedly there was an incident in a little town up north about eight or ten years ago. A man and his two sons were killed and they never found the guy. There's been other 'sightings' since, but whenever one of our shinobi arrives to find a mark already dead it gets credited to Matsu Tsukino. It's sort of the Sand Shinobi's version of the dog eating your homework."

"Tsunade seemed to think he seemed real enough."

"So did Izumo and Kotetsu," Kakashi chuckled.

Sakura looked confused.

"Didn't you hear them when we came back from training. I think they were both a bit smitten with the girl."

"So she's a looker?"

"Kankuro!" Temari admonished.

"What?"

Kakashi thought it better to break up the siblings' spat before it got out of control. "All Tsunade said was that she had long red hair. Izumo said she had freckles and green eyes and that she definitely didn't look dangerous. That's all I know."

"But she is dangerous," Sakura interjected.

"Obviously," agreed Temari.

"Sakura's not talking about her keeping me intact. According to Tsunade, Akane is something of a genius when it comes to poisons."

"Now I do want to meet her!"

Kakashi glanced to the clock on the wall, "And I want to meet this medic that survived. We've got to be headed to the hospital to meet Tsunade."

"Good luck! The one administering his treatment is a little... overprotective," Temari warned. "I hand an awful time getting enough time alone with him to get a statement. I thought I was going to have to get Gaara involved."

* * *

Tsunade rejoined Sakura and Kakashi after lunch and the trio made their way to the hospital. Sakura thought over Temari's warning as she approached the front desk, "Natsuko-san?"

"Yes?" the medic snapped.

"I am Sakura Haruno. Gaara-sama said he would give Tsunade, Kakashi, and I clearance to speak with Kenshin-san?" she said.

"He did, but Kenshin does not need disturbed. His condition is delicate."

Tsunade stepped forward "I am sure that should anything befall him during our visit, we will be more than capable of handling it. I really don't want to have to verify our permissions to speak with him with Gaara, but if you need me to..."

"That won't be necessary."

"Good. Now, where can we find him?'

"He's in the last room on the left at the end of this hall," the woman said, knowing that she was defeated.

"Thank you."

The trio set off down the hallway, Sakura and Kakashi hanging back from Tsunade as she quietly slid Kenshin's door open.

The man was half propped up on pillows and his eyes darted toward the door as his body went ridged.

Tsunade eased herself into the room. "Kenshin-san, do you know who I am?"

"I've not met you in person, but I know who you are Tsunade-sama. Did they call you here to treat me? Is it that bad?"

She shook her head. "From reading your files I can tell you that your recovery is assured. Sadly this is one of those things that a medic can only do so much for. Your files indicate that the healing of bone and tissue is complete."

"So it comes down to my nerves and chakra network."

"I'm afraid so."

He gave her a resigned look. As a medic he knew what to expect from that process. "I apologize. It's just that your reputation precedes you and your appearance led me to think the worst."

"I should be the one apologizing, I just felt that between myself and my two companions, I would be the one to cause the least alarm. We need to speak with you about your attacker. Something similar happened to one of my own near Konoha."

"Companions?"

"Yes. May they come in?"

He nodded.

"Sakura, Kakashi, would you join us please?" she called into the hallway as she lowered herself into the chair on his uninjured side.

Kenshin's eyes widened as the names were called out. "You were the least unsettling choice," he whispered.

"I'm loosing my edge," she lamented as they were joined by the other two shinobi.

"Kenshin, this is Sakura Haruno, my former apprentice, and Kakashi Hatake, the Copy-nin."

Sakura's frown at Tsunade's choice of introduction was deeper than the one that Kakashi wore behind his mask, but she quickly brushed it off. Kenshin nervously nodded his hello as Kakashi leaned against the windowsill on the far side of the room and Sakura took the chair between Kakashi and the bed. She gave the man on the hospital bed a soft look, before motioning to his shoulder and asking, "May I?"

Kenshin looked questioningly at Tsunade, who nodded, before he nodded his permission to Sakura. She concentrated chakra into her fingertips and began to gently examine his shoulder.

"We just want to verify a few things and fill in a couple blanks. Nothing to worry about. First of all, what did your attacker look like?" Tsunade inquired, opening a small notebook.

Kenshin thought for a moment. "He was built rather thin, not nearly as muscular as most shinobi. Light brown hair."

"How long?" Tsunade interrupted.

"Very short," he said, indicating a length of a couple centimeters to Tsunade.

She jotted down the detail. "I'm sorry. Continue."

"His eyes weren't a natural color. I think they were orange."

"How tall was he?"

Kenshin glanced around the room for a moment. "A little shorter than Hatake-san."

"Anything else? Scars? Tattoos? Earrings?"

"Not that I can recall," Kenshin said.

"What about his abilities?"

"I'm probably not the best judge of that, I started medical training straight out of the academy and never did more training with other jutsus than was required to pass my exams, but he did something to my chakra. I think he was a medic, too."

"Did he drain your chakra?"

"No, I was fine after he left. It was more like he wasn't letting me access it."

"Can you estimate a percentage?"

"I had access to, maybe, ten percent. Not really enough to do anything to help myself at that point."

"Was he alone?"

"No."

"How many?"

"Two. Both were much larger than him, but they hung back too far for me to get a good look at them."

"Kakashi?" Tsunade asked.

He nodded in response, as did Sakura.

Kenshin looked around the room, as though searching for the person who would give him an answer.

"Kakashi was attacked," Tsunade explained. "We believe that it was the same rogue medic who injured you. A third ninja, who has no affiliation to Konoha but happened to be in the right place at the right time, put an end to the man in question and Sakura took care of his accomplices."

"What did he want from you?" Kenshin asked abruptly.

"An eye."

"What good would that do them?" Kenshin asked, concentrating on Kakashi's exposed, inky-black eye.

"This eye," he said pushing up his hitai-ate, revealing Obito's Sharingan.

"Of course. I'm sorry. Too much for the pain."

Kakashi smiled beneath his mask. It was not often that someone forgot the very reason that he was famous. Even if it was, in part, caused by the man's medication he liked that he was being looked on as a normal shinobi.

Clearing his mind of that thought, he turned his attention to Sakura. It was a rare treat to get to watch her as she worked without being the patient. He saw detail that was usually hidden by his own pain. She loved what she was doing and she put all of herself into it. "Do you mind if I try something? It's rather experimental but I believe it will help you."

"What exactly?" Kenshin asked suspiciously.

"I can implant a small packet of chakra that will slowly release into the area. It should ease your discomfort and stimulate your nerves. Since you had enough control to shut down the chakra network pathways to your arm you should have enough control to used a fully functioning prosthesis later."

"I don't know if the technology is available in Suna just yet," Tsunade interjected. "But if it is not, once you're able to make the trip, we will make sure you're taken care of in Konoha."

He nodded. "Alright."

"That control and quick thinking is most likely what saved your life. Could you turn toward Tsunade, please? This might sting a bit at first."

He complied, rolling so that his now empty shoulder socket faced up.

Sakura's brow furrowed slightly as she threaded chakra into man's shoulder, preparing the area. She pulled away and made several quick hand seals before pressing her palms onto the prepared area. Kenshin stiffened slightly at the contact and then nearly immediately relaxed. Sakura smiled as she pulled her hands back and sat down heavily in the chair. Kakashi nearly gasped out loud when he saw the marking that she had left behind. It was a much smaller copy of the reserve that resided on Sakura's back. The seal only surrounded three quarters of the small purple diamond.

"That should last about two weeks. By then your nerves should be causing you less pain."

"Thank you," he said, sounding slightly awed.

"I wish I could do more."

He shook his head. "There wasn't enough left for a reconstruction."

"It is ironic," Sakura said. "There wasn't even enough left of the medic that attacked Kakashi to identify by traditional means."

Kenshin's eyes widened. "What?"

"The woman who took out the medic turned his own jutsu against him. He literally disintegrated."

"It was actually much more violent than that," Kakashi said softly. "It was more of an… explosion. And that sound," He shuddered.

"Like metal being wrenched?" Kenshin asked.

"Exactly."

"My arm made that noise. I just wish I could sleep without hearing it."

Kakashi looked at the Sakura. "What about that tea that you gave me?"

Tsunade smiled. "You liked that didn't you?"

"That was the first time I'd slept that well since I lost my father. It was a relief."

"What tea?" Kenshin asked, breaking the silence that had fallen over the three Leaf shinobi.

"In Konoha it is known as Oolong N437K," Tsunade explained. "It induces a deep, dreamless sleep. We'll leave directions for its preparation with Natsuko-san on our way out."

"Actually, I think I should go speak with her," Sakura said. "She'll need brought up to date on what I did. It is likely that she won't be happy with me."

Kenshin laughed. "That is just her way. She needs put in her place."

Sakura stood, smiling. "I don't think that will be necessary. I believe that Tsunade already humbled her enough for one day." She slipped around the foot of the bed and exited the room, sliding the door shut behind her.

Tsunade turned back to the man on the bed, but it was Kakashi that spoke as he slid into the chair that Sakura had occupied before. "I need to know what you know about your attacker."

"I don't have any other facts."

"What do you suspect then?"

"Well, there are rumors."

"Everything has a basis in fact. Let's hear them," he insisted.

* * *

"Natsuko-san, is there somewhere we can speak alone?" Sakura began politely.

"I need to go check on my patient."

Sakura's eyes darkened. "That was not a request."

"What right do you have?"

"How long have you been a medic?" Sakura asked.

"This is my forth year."

"And your rank?"

"I take my Jonin exams in two months."

"That is respectable. But I have been working in the field since I was thirteen. And was promoted to Jonin almost four years ago. I realize that I am not from here, but after what I have done for your Kazekage and his family I feel I am due a bit of respect. Now where can we speak?"

"You can speak with me here or not at all," the woman bit out.

"Fine. I have applied a small reserve of chakra to Kenshin's injury. It is sealed to leak off at a specific volume. It will stimulate his nerve growth and ease the pain. You should be able to wean him onto a weaker pain medication over the next week. The reserve will last two to two and a half weeks. He is complaining of nightmares and is quite obviously poorly rested. I need to speak with someone in your pharmacy department about an herbal preparation to that we use in Konoha."

"We mix our own drugs here."

"Very well," Sakura said, reaching across the desk for a piece of paper and a pen. She jotted down the recipe. "Follow the directions exactly. You can use honey to taste, but cane sugar and other sweeteners will cause ill effects, usually in the form of vivid nightmares. One cup is good for about eight hours of deep, dreamless sleep. Encourage meditation on something calming between drinking the dose and sleeping. A small percentage of those who have taken it remember the thoughts of their last waking moments as dreams. Once he is able to travel, Tsunade has invited him to come to Konoha to be fitted with a chakra-controlled prosthesis if that option is not yet available here."

"You treated my patient without my consent and now you're dictating his care?" she asked incredulously.

"I am doing what I can for the man who was attacked by the same person who went after Kakashi Hatake. He did not make it out of Fire alive, but he inflicted permanent damage in both of our countries. I can treat what I see here, but I'm not so sure about the damage he caused back home."

"I'm not sure that I understand."

"I know you know the details of Kenshin's attack, but do you know the reputation of Kakashi Hatake?"

"Everyone knows about the Copy-nin."

Sakura managed not to grimace at the reference. "He has earned every ounce of what people say about him and is probably due more, while remaining one of the most humble men that I have ever met. Kakashi was attacked by the same medic that attacked Kenshin. The attacker made an attempt to steal the Sharingan that was given to Kakashi by a dying friend when he was a teenager. He nearly succeeded. As you can imagine, being put in that vulnerable of a position could have some lasting psychological repercussions on someone who is so secure in their abilities. His attacker was killed by an independent-nin who was previously unknown to Konoha. I was close enough to get to witness the attacker's last moments. What happened to Kenshin's arm befell the whole of the attacker. The man literally disintegrated, though that hardly does the scene justice. It was a brutal, bloody mess. I have never seen that much blood in one place at one time, despite some of the terrible traumas that have come through my operating room doors."

Natsuko's eyes widened, but Sakura ignored her stunned look as she continued her tirade.

"The one who killed the attacker fled. In effort to keep Kakashi from further harm, I killed the two men who were helping the attacker, and in turn I cut off our only chance at learn more. From what we can glean from other sources, someone out there is seems to be recruiting skilled medics and in turn those medics seem to seek powerful biological components. We came here for answers."

Something about Natsuko softened. "I believe we have found our commonalty."

"Oh?"

"Yes. We're both terribly protective of a man who we'll never measure up to."

Sakura smirked. "Not exactly, but I suppose it's close enough," she allowed.

After a somewhat awkward silence, Natsuko asked, "So this drug?"

"I worked in collaboration with another medic to devise it. Just give it to him about half an hour before he wants to fall asleep and only administer it in a secure location. He will be unresponsive should something happen."

"What about side effects?"

"None."

"Everything has side effects."

"I've had it several times, the last time being two weeks ago."

"Why then?" Natsuko asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"I was given it the night before I was released from the hospital."

"That's hardly time enough to have traveled this far."

"I was only being treated for blood loss, chakra exhaustion, and some superficial injuries. I really should let you get back to work, Natsuko-san. If there is anything further that Tsunade or I can do for Kenshin, let us know. Tsunade offered him the resource of a chakra controlled prosthesis once he's finished healing if that is something that is not available here." Sakura turned and, not giving Natsuko the opportunity to draw her back into conversation, headed back toward Kenshin's room.

She met Kakashi and Tsunade partway down the hallway. "He's resting," Tsunade explained. "I don't think there's any more information that we can get from him."

Kakashi nodded. "He's confirmed what we saw in the reports. Personally, I'd like to see the files of anyone who's gone missing in the last year, not just those with medical training, and anyone who might be wanted for other crimes."

Sakura smiled, "You want to see more paperwork?"

"I've got a hunch," he confirmed with a shrug. "I think we'd have to see their whole file, not just the last report to confirm it though."

"A lot of paperwork then."

Tsunade chuckled at Sakura's remark but then turned serious, "Kakashi, you might have a point. I'll see what I can do. You two might as well go relax for a while. We'll pick this back up after dinner?"

"We'll meet you in the market at six?"

Tsunade nodded, "That will do."

Sakura smiled up at Kakashi, slipped her hand into his, and lead him out of hospital.

For the first few hundred meters he stayed silent, wondering if he should even ask where she was dragging him, but finally it got the better of him. "Um...

Sakura...?"

"Just another two blocks."

"But..."

"Lets not tell Tsunade about this," she implored.

"Okay, but..."

"It's just been years since I've been to Suna, and I always promised myself I'd do what I could to help them along," she explained, pulling a small scroll from her pocket. "I've been carrying it around the whole time we've been here hoping I'd get a moment to slip off."

The greenhouse came into view and he began to understand. "Alright." He allowed himself to be pulled along in her wake until she reached the door. A light rap on the glass brought around a medic-nin in long tan and white robes.

Kakashi watched as a look of recognition crossed the man's face. "Haruno-sama?"

"Tachibana-san!" she exclaimed with a smile. "May we come in?"

"Of course. Of course," he said, holding the door open wide.

"I wasn't sure there'd be anyone here who would remember me," she admitted.

"It would be impossible to forget. It took us quite some time to duplicate the techniques you used on Kankuro."

"It seems like both a lifetime ago and only yesterday."

"Yes, it does. What brings you here now?"

"I had to come by while I was in Suna," she said, as she unrolled the small scroll on the work table in the center of the room. "You all had done such wonderful work in such inhospitable conditions, I still remember you remarking about it when I was working here. You said that you couldn't grow much scurvygrass and I assume that goes for other plants as well?"

"Yes, but..." the medic looked back and forth between Sakura and Kakashi, who had already deduced that his role was to stand by stoically and let the whole scene unfold before him.

"Well, I thought it only right that I try to make your good work here a bit easier."

"I'm not sure I understand."

Sakura smiled, activated the scroll and began pulling out the items sealed within. Kakashi stood back in wonderment until she turned his way. "A little help, please?" she asked.

He could only nod mutely as she removed nearly two dozen large, lidded buckets and passed them to him. He stacked them off to the side, turning Sakura's carefully written labels all the same direction before he took a few steps back and let himself fade to the background again. He found himself feeling out of place but too intrigued to actually bother to remove himself from the greenhouse.

"What is all this?" the medic ask.

"Amendments," she said with a smile, pulling a thick file in an envelope from the scroll and then deactivating it and tucking it back into her pocket. She handed the file to the man. "If my research into your soil is correct, this file and the contents of those buckets should let you reproduce the ideal growing conditions for a many of the most useful herbs."

Kakashi shared the man's shock, though remained silent. "But why would you...?"

"We are allies, are we not? Besides, medicine and healing have no borders."

Visibly moved, the medic struggled for for words. "The others will sing your praises," he finally managed.

"I would prefer that this stay between us."

The medic looked genuinely confused.

"This is not a gesture from the Leaf to the Sand, but a thank you from me to you for what your efforts here allowed me to do all those years ago. I only regret that it took me this long to deliver my thanks. Just between us?"

"As you wish, Haruno-sama."

"Wonderful! Now, the only thing you will need to source locally will be manure. The rest is all here. Everything is detailed in that file, I included mixing ratios and resulting chemical analyses."

He nodded slowly.

"We have to be off to meet with Tsunade. Take care. And feel free to send me a private message to the hospital in Konoha if you have any questions."

"Thank you. This will mean more than you could know. And safe travels on your return home."

Sakura graced him with a short bow and started toward the door of the greenhouse, leaving Kakashi to follow yet again.

Once outside Kakashi finally spoke. "That was... not what I'd expected."

"Their patients here shouldn't be in want when there's something I can do," she said, largely shrugging off what Kakashi had just witnessed. "Tsunade put a lot of focus on botany, herbology, and horticulture late in my training. I'm beginning to believe she sensed my aptitude there before I did. It'd be wrong to not use it."

He shook his head. "How is it that you keep surprising me?"

"It's nothing. Really."

He smiled behind his mask, knowing that she wanted him to drop the conversation. "We're going to be late to meet Tsunade."

"Then we should hurry."

* * *

By the time that they had finished with dinner that evening, the files had been delivered to Kakashi and Sakura's room. As before, a tray loaded down with drinks and snacks sat nearby and the room had been straightened.

Sakura poured three cups of tea and carried them to the table where Tsunade and Kakashi had already started looking through files.

An hour and forty minutes of ruffled paper and stifled yawns later, Kakashi looked up. "I think I found it."

"I'm not even sure I knew what we were looking for," admitted Sakura.

"This," he said, "Rikuto Yamashita. Embezzlement and outright thievery. His file says that he was not promoted to Jonin, his file cites 'imbalanced ambitions' for the reasoning."

"That means what I think it means, doesn't it?" Sakura asked.

"I have only penned those words once," confirmed Tsunade, "when filling out the final warrant on Sasuke Uchiha."

Sakura lowered her head slightly and nodded. "That's what I thought."

Kakashi sought to diffuse the tension by passing the file to Tsunade. "With that amount of money..."

"Because of logistics funds don't go as far here as they would back home, but yes, this would definitely be enough to finance the start of something."

"So we include this in the report to Gaara?"

"There's really no connection noted," she said, sliding the papers back into the file and placing it on the stack with the files of the medics that they had read through earlier. "We have no way of proving that he isn't enjoying a very comfortable retirement on a little boat or the like. We don't say anything, we just heavily imply it through systematic filing."

"That sounds like Shizune talking," Sakura observed.

"She would have had to learn it from somewhere," Kakashi agreed, smirking beneath his mask.

Tsunade did her best to look innocent, before turning her attention to the tray. "Please tell me that there's a decanter of Sake over there."

"There is."

"Good. I'm going to call it a night. I'll look at this more in the morning," she declared, standing up and taking the decanter from the tray before turning toward the door. "Is eight too early?"

"That will be fine, Shishou."

Without another word, Tsunade closed the door behind her.

"I'll shower in the morning," Sakura muttered dismissively as she pulled Rikuto's file from the stack and opened it.

"You should get some sleep. If I'm right, we'll be leaving tomorrow."

"So soon?"

Kakashi shrugged. "There's not much else we can learn here. I think Gaara will ask that we look into things in a different capacity after out meeting tomorrow."

"Within his own borders?"

He slipped the file from her hands and laid it back in the pile where Tsunade had placed it. "It would be within his rights to let us look around. It's the move I'd make in his shoes."

"You're probably right," she allowed, standing from the couch. "I'll set the alarm."

After his shower and his shave, Kakashi eased his way back across the shadowy room. He paused at the door and smiled when he saw that she had already placed a small tag on the door. The tag emitted a very slight glow and would keep the door from being opened, even with a key.

He'd thought she was sleeping, but when he stooped to check the alarm, she held the blankets up for him to slide under.

 


End file.
